They Met at Archery Practice
by Genius-626
Summary: Modern AU. Tauriel beats Kili in an archery match and the rest is history. Sparks fly and Fili has to deal with them and their crazy love for each other.
1. Prologue

_A:N - Jan. 16th 2015. _

_Hey! I added an Epilogue and will be adding a few chapters in between existing one's, so watch out for changes ;D I realized I had some continuity errors and I wanted to expand on the back-story a bit more. I'll let you know what changes are coming when they do. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

Ten Years Ago

"May I be excused?" Tauriel asked. She had eaten as quickly as she could without making a mess, knowing how particular Thranduil was about manners at dinner. At fifteen, Tauriel knew her god father well enough to work around his nearly impossibly high standards of living.

"Wash your plate. And you said your homework was finished?" Thranduil said, looking up at her squarely, Legolas looking between them, sensing Tauriel's urgency.

"Yes, sir." She said, getting up and briskly walking towards the kitchen.

"So you have time to look over your extra credit so that you can devote your afternoon tomorrow to archery?" Thranduil pressed on, scheduled as ever.

Tauriel cringed, fortunately out of his sight, having forgotten about her extra credit. "Yes, I'll work on that tonight."

"And don't stay up too late, you have a full day tomorrow." He finished.

She washed her plate and tried not to run upstairs to her room. Once there, she closed the door quietly and opened the closet where she kept her telescope. Setting it up under her window, she pulled up an old book of constellations and immediately started procrastinating.

Moments later, there was a knock at the door. Tauriel jumped and scrambled, getting to her desk and rummaging around her backpack for her extra credit assignment.

The door swung open to Legolas, a small, sly smile at his lips.

"Caught you, didn't I?" He said, eyeing the telescope. He only got an angry pout from her before he walked in and lifted the thing. "Come on, its easier if you're on the balcony. Shhh."

Tauriel lit up and followed her pseudo-big brother into his room and onto the balcony. Legolas set up the telescope and got a flash light so that Tauriel could read her book.

"So..." Legolas started, sitting on the floor of the balcony and looking up at the stars from there. "I was meaning to ask you if you wanted my room. After I move out this summer, so that you can have the balcony."

Tauriel stopped what she was doing and looked at up at him. Legolas was her closest friend, if not her only friend, and she hated the thought that he was leaving for college. Without him, there was just her studies, archery, and the stars. Her whole life could be summarized just by that; she could live contently live in Thranduil's mansion of a house and only know those three things.

"If Thranduil's ok with that, I guess. Thanks." she said.

After a few minutes of an excited Tauriel telling Legolas about stars and galaxies and cosmos, she settled down and pulled up the old book again. They both knew it had been her father's, his writing was even still in it.

"You knew my parents, right?" she asked hesitantly.

Legolas was surprised, she never wanted to talk about her parents. He nodded. "I was little when they dies, but I still remember them."

Tauriel smiled sadly. "Memory is such a precious thing. And I don't even have that, I was too young when it happened." So she looked back up at the stars, and then back to her father's book. "I know they loved the night sky. I know that they hiked and camped out just to look at it. So I guess my memory is up there, walking in the starlight."

From the open door of Legolas's room, Thranduil heard them talking. He knew there would be nothing keeping her away from that telescope tonight, but he was just glad she had something that would help her with Legolas leaving for college. He made a good call buying that for her, then.

* * *

Five Years Ago

"Kili, wake up."

Kili tried to open his eyes and found that even the thin strip of light streaming in from the closed blinds was making his head pound. He made a loud groan and rolled over, feeling absolutely sick to his stomach.

Hanging off the edge of his bed, he felt a strong hand gripping one of his shoulders, keeping him from rolling all the way out of bed. A bucket was placed below him, soft music playing in the, soft music playing in the background. He didn't know how he'd gotten a hold of his brother before he's passed out, but he thanked every god in existence the he had.

"Fee..." Kili tried to say before feeling an ambush of nausea attack every nerve he could still feel. He heaved the contents of his stomach with an unfortunately unpracticed ease. After everything was out and his coughing was done, he felt a rag at his mouth. He leant up, still feeling like shit, but awake and alive enough to roll over and sit up.

"'m not a baby, Fee." He said, it being the first thing he thought of. He was finally looking at his brother, his prim and proper big brother, clad in sweat pants and an old Beatles t-shirt, hair mussed and bags under his eyes.

"Well, my definition of a baby is someone who can't take care of themselves." Fili said, sounding as exhausted as he looked. "So you, baby brother, are fucked."

"You can say that again." Kili mumbled, his memory slowly coming back to him. "What happened?"

Fili was sitting on a chair next to the bed, and he slumped into it. "I got a call from you at three a.m. It was most likely an accident, but I heard you were at a party. I was worried, if you remember anything about the conversation we had about you cutting back on _partying_ and_ girls_ and _drugs_."

Fili watched his brother carefully as he spoke. He was mad at him, of course he was, but he also knew how reasonable he to be while Kili was so out of it. He had to take care of him, make sure he got better, then he could punch his lights out for being stupid.

"So I took the hour drive to get here. I didn't find you here, so I asked around. Eventually I found you down the hall, with a _few_ girls. And a variety of hallucinogens."

"Then what?" Kili rasped, lying down on his back and breathing deeply.

"I told them you were mental and got you the fuck out of there. Planted you in here. Watched some TV. Looked over your unopened text books."

"Don't lecture me, Fili, I know I screwed up." Kili said, fighting through the pain in his entire body in order to even speak. Tears were streaking down his face he was in so much dysfunction. "I know I'm worthless, I know I don't belong here."

It broke Fili's heart to see him like this, knowing that he could have done more to help him. No, he'd felt helpless this entire time, unknowing of what to do other then tell him what he was doing wrong. Only now did he realize his mistake.

"You're not worthless." Fili said, getting up to kneel on the edge of Kili's bed.

"Then what the hell am I?" Kili yelled, rolling over abruptly, using his arms to lift himself up. his head hung low and his back was to Fili. "What am I?"

"You're my brother." Fili said, as evenly as he could make out. "And I'm taking you home."

"Not to mother, not like this." Kili said furiously.

"Not to mother, not to Thorin. Come home with me. You can sleep on my couch until we can move you into my room."

"...What about school?" Kili asked weakly, his strength giving out already.

Fili scooted up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Kili from behind, bringing him into a bear hug of comfort, tightening his hold on him when he seemed to go limp. "You don't need school. Right now, you need peace. You need a break, you need family."

He felt Kili shaking. "Hell yes. Get me out of here."


	2. In Which Kili and Tauriel meet

Fili felt terrible that he couldn't make it to Kili's first archery match of the season. After being promoted at work, he generally had a lot more to do - especially now when Thorin was on a business trip and had left Fili to manage the shop by himself. Luckily for Fili, he'd be done soon enough to at least meet his brother after so that they could go out for drinks.

A long and windy hour-and-a-half drive later, Fili pulled up the dirt road and into the archery range's parking area. He easily spotted Kili from a short distance, but his brother's back was to him and his attention seemed immovable. From what Fili could tell, Kili was currently enthralled in conversation with a young woman; a woman fairly taller than Kili with archery equipment of her own hauled over her shoulder.

Fili honked, startling a few passersby who had already packed up and were also leaving. Kili's head spun around at the familiar noise, his medium length hair whipping back into his face. He waved once he saw Fili waiting. Turning back to the woman he was talking with, they shared another moment before Kili broke away, heading towards Fili's car.

...

Tauriel turned as Kili left, but quickly looked back to watch him walk away. He had been such a good competitor, and then when he had introduced himself, he was so humble, almost in awe of her skill. He seemed so different then any other archer she'd met here, and every archer she knew outside of the group - which was more of a club then anything - were highly trained experts practically groomed to hold a bow. He was definitely a working man by the look of his hands, and his height isn't ideal for the sport. He 'd even said that he'd never been formerly trained and only kept with it up for stress relief.

Though they'd stood together and talked for quite a while, what struck her most about him was his smile. Just thinking about it made her blush. The look in his eyes were so genuine and kind, something she did not see quite so often. Or maybe he was just a beaken of light to whomever he met, a special kind of joy lingering in his spirit.

"Tauriel?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the voice of her closet friend, Legolas, who had come to watch the tournament.

"Who was that guy gawking at you?" He said, his tone bordering on demanding.

She was so used to his tough exterior that his slight hostility sounded normal to her. "Gawking? We were just talking."

"And he was staring at you like you were the light at the end of the tunnel!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Tauriel replied, knowing that she had been far too lost in conversation to even notice how Kili had been looking at her, let alone how she had been looking at him.

"Who is he?" Legolas continued to question.

"Someone who's been going to this group for longer then I have whom I should get to know if we're going to be training together." She explained, punching him in the arm in a friendly way. She technically had only come to the tournament for fun and was not completely interested in joining the group for weekly practice, but now she was uncertain.

Legolas put his hands on his hips in that defiant way of his. He tended to judge quickly and Tauriel was trying to break him of the habit.

"You saw him, he came in second place." Tauriel said.

"Surprising, he didn't look like much." Legolas replied. "Would it kill him to shave every once and a while?"

"He mentioned he was trying to grow it out." Tauriel added, nearly under her breath, deciding to skip the fact that she rather enjoyed facial hair on a man.

As they walked to her car and were trying to decide what to get for dinner, she also decided to skip the fact that she'd gotten the number of the man who had apparently been gawking at her not ten minutes ago.

...

After putting his things away in the trunk, Kili seated himself and slammed the door shut.

"So, how was it?" Fili asked.

"Good. I got second place today, the new girl took me by surprise, shot circles around me."

"The girl you were talking to just now?"

Kili couldn't help but smile brilliantly while thinking of her. "Did you see her? She's absolutely stunning! You have to get off work next time and watch her shoot, it was amazing." A few beats passed quietly between them before he continued. "I want to ask her out."

"What?" Fili said incredulously, taken aback by his brother's sudden change in tone. It wasn't uncommon that Kili went out, but he sounded as if asking this particular woman on a date was an incredibly important feat. "You just met her, you hardly know anything about her other than that she's a good shot."

"I know a little more than that, like how she's training in a police academy, and that she lives in Woodland." Kili retorted, the sass in his demeanor returning. "And if you hadn't so rudely interrupted us, I would have gotten to know her better."

"Oh, god, are you serious?" Fili was at a loss. He'd never seen his brother so enamored with someone in such a non exclusivly sexual way. "Is this real crush?" He continued as he began to back up and leave the Greenwood range. "Or are you just into woman who are a head taller than you?"

"What do you have against tall woman?" Kili said, immediately defensive.

"Nothing…just worrying she'll have something against you, shorty." Fili said, laughing as Kili punched his shoulder.

"Look who's talking, shorty!" Kili teased. Fili had always been shorter than his younger brother, a fact that used to bother him in his youth.

He swatted Kili away. "I'm driving, I'm driving!"

Kili leaned back in his seat and sighed, more in exaggeration then sincerity. "But it is a crush, I'm afraid. The moment I saw her, my heart started pounding...like I was being chased. It's still pounding, I'm still out of breath."

"You were just performing a sport, Kee, that's what happens when you don't practice as much as you should."

"I'm serious." Kili said, just the opposite, at the moment. "I'm frightened, why am I suddenly filled with the desire to write poetry and sing love songs at the top of my lungs?" Kili 'lamented', smiling profusely at the end of his 'confession.' "I feel as if I might die."

"I think you may just die of a heart attack induced by your pathetic overly romantic tendencies." Fili deadpanned.

"You know I can't help it." Kili said, "And you love me anyway, even when I write you those love letters."

"Yeah, stop doing that! The guys at work are starting to believe I actually sleep with a woman named Roberta who has a serious terminal illness!"

For the last few months, Kili had been sneaking letters into Fili's office at work, writing from the perspective of a completely fictional person named Roberta. Her story consisted of having met Fili at a bar and sleeping with him afterword. She then tells Fili about her terminal illness in the letter and how she wishes they could have a life together, but alas, she is not meant for this world much longer. Kili had done it purely from boredom one day while nothing was happening at work, but once the other employees got a hold of it, the letters kept coming.

"It's just a bit of fun, relax." Kili said. A quiet moment passed between them before he continued. "And be thankful I made it 'Roberta' instead of 'Robert,' the guys question that about you."

"What? You're making that up."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Either way, Ivan checks you out."

Fili laughed, knowing it to be true.

It was quiet for a few moments before Fili spoke again. "So...you're serious about wanting to ask her out?"

Kili didn't hesitate. "Yeah, really, I am. Probably just for a coffee or something. It doesn't even need to be a date, you could come too. You'll like her, I can see you two getting along."

"Alright." Fili said, satisfied with that bit of information. Kili usually rushed into relationships, asking women out impulsively, most of the time just sleeping around. Kili hadn't had a legitimate relationship since high school if he was remembering right. The fact that his brother wanted to get to know her was a testament to how much he'd already fallen for her.

As they drove home to their small apartment in the city of Erebor, Fili couldn't help but think about Kili in a serious, stable relationship. He simply couldn't picture it. Maybe things would be different this time.


	3. In Which There is a First Kiss

Tauriel was currently driving through a very windy road, Kili thoughtfully looking out the passenger side window as the sun and it's light continued to vanish in it's decent. Tauriel would occasionally glance at him when he was silent for too long and admire the very contemplative look on his face. It made her smile, looking at him like that, and she wondered if she could ever get tired of that lopsided grin he made when he was lost in thought.

The pair had unexpectedly spent the whole day together after practice, just talking, and neither had realized how much time had passed. With it almost being nightfall, Tauriel suggested they finally go out to her favorite mountainous clearing for watching the sky. Sunset, stars, sunrise, it was all worth the climb.

So far, their only time alone together had been when Tauriel had arrested Kili for trespassing private forest ground, and their first date. Lunches after practice didn't count because Fili was always there, and practice didn't count because, well, the whole team was there.

Kili hadn't asked, but he assumed that this was their second date. She'd asked him out the first time to go see a movie and hang out at a mall, then she'd asked if he wanted to hang out after practice and suggested they come here after they lost track of time. He was secretly plotting to ask her out next time, besides, Fili would start pestering him about it soon if he didn't. On the other hand, the small fear he had of messing everything up was still in the back of his mind. The thought hadn't really come to him until their first date, and for some reason, every bad date (aka, every drunken escapade in college he'd ever had) came to his mind, almost as if to discourage him from finding happiness.

But this was no time to dwell in the past. This was different. This was better.

"So, why didn't you major in astronomy if you love it so much?" Kili asked, eyeing their destination with interest. It was getting dark and the silhouettes of the trees looked like they belonged in a painting.

"It's hard, especially when you have more then one calling in life." Tauriel replied, sighing. "But I figured, if stars became my job, there's a good chance I'd stop loving them the way I do. I want to keep it a pleasure, not turn it into a pain."

"I hear you." Kili replied. "So, um, how'd you find this place?"

Tauriel parked off road and looked at him, a smile on her face. "I've known it for a very long time, most of my life, actually. I don't have a lot of memories of my early childhood, but this one I could never forget."

Kili opened his door when Tauriel made her way out of the car. Slamming it shut, he walked around it to follow the fellow archer as she continued her tale.

"My parents took me up here once." She said, hands in the front pockets of her jacket. Kili resigned to doing to same, though he'd wanted to steal one of her hands to hold. He listened as she continued.

"My god father says they were very fond of camping and wildlife and things like that, and that my father knew everything there was about the constellations. Where they were, their stories, everything. It's one of the things they passed onto me that I cherish."

"That's beautiful." Kili said after a moment, blushing when she met his eyes. He was lost in her gaze for a moment before attempting to further the conversation. "I, um, was too young to know my father. Everyone says Fili looks just like him. I hear stories about him and wonder how different life would have been with him in it. To be honest, I think we would have butted heads a lot."

As they continued on the path, it was getting to be more of a climb then a walk. Kili made sure to follow very closely behind Tauriel, and she made sure she wasn't going too fast.

"It was because of him that I even considered joining the army." Kili continued, his breathing a bit heavier now with the uphill climbing they were doing.

"But you didn't." Tauriel said, knowing that he would have mentioned by now if he was a veteran or something.

Kili shook his head. "Mum talked me out of it. I was 18, didn't want to go to college, and figured I could get to know my father through shared experiences. I never realized how it would affect my mum. She begged me not to, so I entered college and hated it."

"What was so bad about college?" Tauriel asked. She'd already heard a few stories about his college days, but only silly stories about roommates or parties, nothing detailing his disliking of the experience.

"Oh, most everything." the man scoffed. "I won't give you the gruesome details, but I wasn't terribly responsible. Not with my classes, my clubs, my alcohol, or with my friends. It was Fili who straightened me out, always has."

Tauriel, nodded, silently taking in what little he'd given her. She wasn't exactly fond of sharing about her bitter past either, so she understood the discrepancy.

It was almost pitch black outside, but Tauriel knew exactly where they were.

"Stay close to me, we're almost there." She said, and that's when she found Kili's arm, grabbing at him there before finding his hand. She wove their fingers together and kept moving, leading him through the dark. Kili relished the touch, but kept alert and attentive.

Kili was about to ask if there was a flashlight they could use before they finally reached the clearing. They stepped out of the trees shrouding forces and were suddenly engulfed by moonlight. Their hands remained clasped together as Tauriel brought him to the edge of the clearing.

Kili's eyes were everywhere, looking into the sky at the speckled stars and the view of the city and it's lights below. This kind of place was a hidden miracle. "Wow, this is...incredible." He said, turning to face Tauriel. He saw how the light of the moon was reflected in her eyes and he heard his own breath catch and felt his heart melt. He would kiss her right now if they'd done it before, but this was only their -probably- second date, and of course he didn't want to seem too eager. To scare away the woman who held his heart so firmly in her grasp, that was his greatest fear.

They were still holding hands, however, and he didn't want to let go, but Tauriel had other ideas. She let go in order to sit down, urging Kili to do the same. He did, folding his legs together as he watched Tauriel's dangle off the edge of the clearing.

"I used to be afraid of heights when I was small." He said.

She tilted her head, her eyes questioning before she even spoke. "What made you get over it?"

"I don't know. One day it just wasn't so bad. Kinda like being afraid of the dark, once you realize there's nothing under your bed or in your closet, it gets better."

Tauriel nodded in understanding. She crossed her arms across her chest, bracing herself against the slight breeze, a fresh cold in the air now that the sun was completely gone. "I used to be afraid of spiders."

"Really? I can't imagine you afraid of anything, even as a kid. What changed?"

"I figured out how easy they were to kill." Tauriel said, laughing at herself for sounding so cruel.

Kili laughed as well, shifting a bit closer to her. He was quite cold, he'd suddenly realized, and as he shortened the gap between them, so did Tauriel.

After a brief moment of silence, Kili looked down again. "You must not be afraid of anything."

Tauriel shook her head in disbelief. "What makes you say that?"

"You're the one climbing these treacherous hills. Look at this fall! And you come here alone? At night? Often?"

She chuckled at his overacting and looked back up into the sky. Being like this, so close together and feeling so free, it made her want to do and say things she normally wouldn't, if only to share something unique with the man she was now certain had stolen her heart.

"I...I do have a confession to make." She began, albeit tentatively. "I was a bit scared of...you for while."

Kili blinked. "Me?"

"Or maybe just the feelings I had towards you." she said, back peddling a bit. "The feelings I have, I mean. I didn't know what to do about you, I felt so...helpless isn't the right word-"

"Lost." Kili said, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. It took him a moment to realize he spoken aloud, but seeing that he had her attention, he continued. "I get lost just thinking about you. Does that make sense?" Lost with hopes for a future, hopes of learning about her past, about learning every little thing about her.

"Makes perfect sense. At least it does to me." Tauriel answered. She wanted to say that she'd been in love before, had experienced first love and the rush that went with it, and that this felt completely different, but somehow the same. But that would be admitting to him that she was in love...would that be so bad?

Kili wanted to fill the silence. "I have a confession, too. I wanted to ask you out from the moment I left our first conversation."

"And you did." Tauriel said, remembering how he'd asked her to coffee after their first real practice together.

"For coffee, and with my brother, like a gentleman. Didn't want to seem too forward. And I hadn't asked anyone out in three years, so you know, I was extremely out of practice." He said, laughing.

They both laughed, filling the cold night air with puffs of warm breath. When it fell into a peaceful silence again, Kili took the liberty to put his arm Tauriel. She felt just as cold as he was, but that didn't stop her from leaning into him. They locked eyes while this close in proximity and became lost in each other once again.

"I wanted this to be special. I've never really been one for relationships." Kili continued, his heartbeat drumming in his ears. "I'd very much like to kiss you." Kili said, unable to stop himself.

"Now that's forward." She retorted.

"But also like a gentleman." He said, defending himself with a lopsided smile on his face.

"Shut up." She said, leaning in close enough to softly touch their lips together for the first time. It stayed gentle and sweet as Kili leaned in further, using the hand that wasn't lightly gripping her shoulder to caress the side of her face and explore the long tresses of her hair there. Their bliss only grew when they broke apart for air, foreheads touching, eyes still closed, the cold completely forgotten.

When they did lock eyes again, both had so much to say, but with no clue how. So they kissed again, and again, and again, happily conveying their feelings with soft touches and increasingly exploratory lips and tongues. Time seemed irrelevant and the world fell away, even when Kili's phone went off - several times. Fili's voicemails could wait.


	4. In Which Legolas Disapproves

Tauriel was getting ready to go out. Rumaging around her room, she'd just gotten dressed and was now looking for her comb. As organized as she was, she often left her comb lying around in non-consistent places throughout the house due to how often she had to straighten out her long tresses.

Now, however, this type of search made her think of how enamored Kili was with her hair. It was flattering whenever he called her beautiful, but when he ran his fingers through her hair, she'd never felt so adored, and in such a subtle way. Now that they were finally past the tentative stages of the their dating - they did a lot more then holding hands - she'd noticed just how often his fingers would find the ends of her red locks, mindlessly toying with them as they talked.

On their last date, she'd given him the grand tour of her large apartment. She lived with Legolas, and she was lucky he wasn't coming home that night. They'd ended up talking and eating ice cream in her room, hours after Kili should have been on the road; they both had had work the next morning. He'd ended up leaving far later then expected, but not before requesting to brush her hair. He'd even left a braid and had said - in a rather romantic whisper close to her ear- that it was something to remember him by.

The more she thought about it, the more that night sounded like a regular girls' sleep over, minus the romantic edge. He was definitely the sappy one between them, but not excessivly so; he knew when to dial back. And, despite her reluctance, his romantic tendencies were beginning to rub off on her.

Tauriel's phone rang, effectively bringing her out of her thoughts. Seeing that it was Legolas, she answered right away and put him on speaker as she continued brushing out her hair. He was probably calling from his father's place.

"Hey." She greeted casually.

"I want to meet him. Today."

Tauriel was not surprised in the least. Legolas had always been judgmental of the people she dated, why would it be different with Kili? In all honesty, she had hoped it would be different. She and Kili had only been dating for two months, and Legolas was already up in arms about how fast they seemed to be going. The worst part about that was that she agreed with him, they were taking things fast.

To anyone else, she and Kili's relationship seemed rushed. They'd started hanging out after archery practice - which was just once a week - then had started seeing each other over the weekends despite the distance, were skyping and texting until Tauriel had finally asked him out on a real date - without Fili chaperoning. They'd been fast friends and were eager to get closer, so what they were doing only seemed right.

"It would be ambushing him if you came with me today, he's only expecting me." Tauriel replied.

"Then call him and tell him you're bringing your friend. You hang out with his brother all the time, it would be exactly the same."

It was true, she did spend quite a lot of time with Fili. They had become fast friends as well; they had quite a lot in common. And Legolas had a point, she supposed, from his perspective. If she hung out with her boyfriends brother, what was so wrong with her boyfriend having to meet her own brother? She and Legolas both felt they were more like siblings since they'd been raised together for so long. There was a point in their adolescence when they had a fondness for each other more along the lines of romantic, but those childish days had passed.

"Yes," Tauriel continued, "but Fili doesn't tag along on our dates."

"Where are you going?" Legolas persisted without skipping a beat.

Tauriel debated telling him the truth or not. She guessed that if she didn't take him along, he would show up on his own.

"We're just going out for lunch."

"Where?"

"Legolas, if I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're being overly protective. Or overly intrusive. Either would be slightly annoying if I wasn't already used to it."

"You know my will is like iron."

"I also know your vocabulary is incessantly dorky. But fine. You can come, but only if you promise to behave. And you can only stay for a half hour."

"I doubt I'll need more than ten minutes with this one to break him."

"And I doubt you'll succeed."

She pressed a button to hang up and was done with her hair and light makeup. She wasn't looking forward to telling Kili about this, but sooner was better then later. She dialed his number, dialing faster then finding his contact in her phone.

"Hello?" Came Kili's low and pleasant cadence.

"Hey, I have...news." Tauriel said, not having known exactly what to call Legolas intruding on their date.

"Ok...what is it?"

"Well, remember when I told you about my friend who evaluates all of my relationships and almost immediately deems them unworthy?"

"The Olympian? How could I forget?"

She had explained to Kili her family situation on one of their earlier dates, including the fact that she was raised by her god father and that her pseudo-brother was an Olympic champion in archery.

"He's coming with me tonight." she contiued. "I'd be lying if I said I really tried to dissuade him. Honestly, I want to see him fail for once."

"Fail? Fail at what?"

"He'll try to interrogate you. It's a game he's played with everyone I've ever dated, or, at least it started out that way in high school. It's nothing personal, he disapproves of everyone."

"So, you want me to prove to him I'm right for you? Oh I love a challenge." Kili said with fervor. "I'm definitely in."

...

Legolas' questions were rudimentary to begin with, Kili had figured out. They all had to do with Tauriel, what she liked and whatnot. As silly as it was, Kili could see why the Olympian enjoyed this so much; humiliating a potencial threat sounded fun.

Too bad he was going to lose this round.

"Favorite color." The blond contined questioning.

"Green." Kili said between sips of his soda.

"Favorite past time."

Kili took a moment to think. "Archery and star gazing."

"Only one."

Kili scrunched up his nose, these questions were slowly getting more difficult. "Star gazing." He finally decided.

Legolas squinted at his foe. Kili was getting lucky, he decided. "Favorite breed of dog."

"...English Mastiff?" Her childhood dog was said breed, a picture of it tucked away in her wallet, he remembered.

"Reason for the scar on her right shoulder."

"Grazed arrow."

"Scar on her right knee."

"Bicycle accident."

"Scar on-"

"Legolas." Tauriel interrupted. They'd been at this for about ten minutes now, and she'd been waiting in the small arcade of the local pizza place sine they'd began. Walking up to them, she could tell that Kili was taking pride in all the menial facts he knew about her, but if she didn't stop them now, she knew Legolas wouldn't stop himself.

"I think you've made your point." She continued, crossing her arms and giving her best friend a confident look. Kili was different from the other men she'd willingly subjected to this game, and she wanted him to be treated that way.

Legolas regarded her for a moment before looking back at Kili. The professional archer was visibly unimpressed by Kili's choice of clothing, especially for a date. The shorter man was wearing a worn out sweater with patches on the elbows, fingerless gloves covering his worked hands. His hair was a curly mess down to his shoulders and his beard was entirely scruff and a little uneven.

Seeing how Tauriel was done with his interrogation, Legolas decided to change his tactic.

"How tall are you?" He asked Kili.

"5 foot 4." He replied, not skipping a beat.

"In college?"

"Was, never graduated."

"Have a job?"

"In the family business."

"Longest relationship?"

"Two months."

"You've been dating Tauriel for how long?"

"Two months."

"Virgin?"

"Lost that title in high school." Kili said, grinning and winking.

"Legolas!" Tauriel interrupted again.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave you to your college dropout." Legolas said as he stood from his seat.

"I'm not offended by that, Olympian." Kili said.

"You say _that_ like it should offend me." Legolas answered.

"Well, I could have called you 'silver medal,' would you prefer that?" Kili elaborated, earning a swat on the arm from Tauriel.

Legolas looked to his friend. "And you asked _me_ to behave."

"And now I'm walking you out." She turned to Kili. "We'll be a minute."

She then walked Legolas out of the restaurant and they tried hailing him a cab.

"Well, he's attentive, obviously cares about you, and honest about himself." Legolas admitted. "But I still don't like him."

Tauriel smiled at her longest friend, a wry smile reserved for him alone. "Your need for male dominance proceeds you. Also, I don't care."

"Good to know." Legolas replied. "And exactly what I was afraid of. Just don't elope with him any time soon."

"Wouldn't dream of it, especially because I want you as my maid of honor."

Legolas laughed. "That joke is getting old."

"It's not a joke, I have no girl friends."

"See you at dinner tomorrow at dad's?" He said, changing the subject from marriage with a look of urgently on his face.

"Wouldn't miss it." Tauriel said, hugging her friend goodbye before he climbed into a cab and was off.


	5. In Which Dis Wants to Meet Tauriel

The Durinson household was just winding down from dinner. Thorin was helping his sister with the dishes while his two nephews still sat at the table, chatting away like they had all night.

"Don't you boys ever get tired of each other?" Thorin said from the kitchen.

"He gets tired of me when Tauriel's around." Fili said teasingly, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Only when you're rudely interrupting our dates." Kili retorted, pointedly giving his big brother a disapproving, yet well-meaning look.

Fili liked to bug Kili and Tauriel when they went out, usually through incessant texting or calling, sometimes to the both of them. On their first date, Fili had spied on them. He'd taken stalker-esk pictures and posted them on Facebook with the status reading: "My little brother's a ditz in love, can't believe he didn't notice me following him all night lol."

"You realize I'm going to have to get you back for all your medaling." Kili continued. "Just wait until you fall head over heels for someone, because I'll be there. With my camera ready."

"Speaking of your mystery girl, when will you finally introduce us?" Dis said, finishing up the dishes and entering the dining room, Thorin not far behind. "You've known her for a year now and she hasn't come over once?"

"We've known her for half a year and they've been dating for three months. Get it right, mum." Fili said, his tone thick with mock attitude.

Her dark haired son shook his head, unable to stop himself from smiling at Fili's antics. "She lives two hours away. We're pretty much maintaining a long distance relationship."

"'Long distance' or not, you see her at least once a week, you should bring her over for dinner one of these nights." Dis said.

Kili hesitated for a short moment before replying. "I'll have to ask. I've been thinking about it, but haven't because I didn't want to rush things."

"You should invite her to family night." Thorin suggested, referring to the last Friday of every month when their entire family—immediate and honorary members alike—all got together to have dinner and socialize.

"Um…" Kili hesitated again, not sure how to phrase his concern. Once he saw the slight concern, Fili understood his brother's wariness on the subject.

"What's the matter, afraid we'll embarrass you?" Thorin asked, half joking.

"No, that's not it, Uncle." Kili replied. "Tauriel's just a very independent person, doesn't have much of a family, at least not one as big as ours. I don't want to scare her away by introducing her to my _entire_ family, it has great potential for being extremely overwhelming."

"You said she was independent, not timid." Dis evaluated, convinced that Tauriel should meet the family.

"Yes, right, I just don't want her to be uncomfortable is all."

While Kili had explaining himself to his parental figures, Fili had taken out his phone and dialed Tauriel's number. "How thoughtful, baby brother, but she already agreed." Fili said, phone to his ear and a wry smile on his lips.

"…Is that Tauriel?" Kili asked, a bit exasperated. "You phoned her?"

"Can't I invite a friend to dinner?" Fili retorted, acting oblivious.

"A friend that happens to be my girlfriend?!" Kili snapped back, lunging at his brother and now close enough to hear the other end of the phone.

"Is that Kili?" He heard Tauriel say.

Kili snatched the phone and turned his back to his brother as if the action would make the conversation private. "Why yes it is, love."

The rest of the family looked at each other and tried not to laugh, the change in Kili's voice having changed from charged to dreamily delicate in less than a second. None of them had ever seen him so infatuated with someone like this, it was incredibly amusing for them to watch this relationship unfold.

"Is the invitation still open then?" She asked. It was delightful to Kili that he could tell she was smiling.

"You'd really want to come? You know I have a big family."

"Of course I want to, I haven't met any of your relatives yet and I know how much they mean to you."

Kili could feel the blush spread across his face just at her sincere words. Her thoughtfulness exceeded his every expectation and made his heart soar. "Well alright then. It'll be next week, but I'll see you tomorrow at practice, bright and early."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to turn in, I'll need a good night's sleep if I'm going to be getting up at seven in the morning. I'll be counting the moments until practice." She said, laughing at her own remark, never missing a chance to make fun of Kili's overly romantic way with words.

"'ll hold you to that." Kili replied, the blush only worsening. "Ok, I love you."

"Love, bye."

"Bye." He hung up. He'd realized weeks ago that anyone else would probably be offended by the fact that she simply ended her phone conversations with just "love" instead of the full "I love you," but Kili knew her better. She was far more reserved to outwardly express her love in normal ways, and he simply adored the small things she did to reassure him of her affections.

"Aren't you just the most love struck dolt. You look like a teenager." Dis said, laughing as she said it. Thorin was chuckling as well.

"Mum, I'm 23." Kili half whined, slouching in his chair.

"Well you look like you were when you had your first crush on a girl, only now you've managed to grow stubble."

Kili scowled at his mother for that last comment. He was still working on the beard thing.

"You should see him when we're with Tauriel, especially at the shooting ranges, I can barely get his eyes for a moment he's so taken by her." Fili gave Kili a sly grin and said under his breath, "Bet she takes you all the time."

Kili roughly pushed his brother's shoulder. "You do realize our mother is in the room!" After a moment, the young men looked at each other and laughed, despite the slight embarrassment Kili was still feeling.

"Sorry, sorry." Fili apologized. "In all honesty, at this rate, you probably haven't even gotten past second base."

"Fili!" Kili yelled.

Even Thorin was laughing now. "With how red your face is, I can only take that to be true."

Kili got up from the kitchen table and walked off frustratingly towards the front door.

"Kee, you don't have your licence yet!" Fili said, having to raise his voice.

Kili didn't hesitate to open the door and walk out. "Then I'll just have to chance it. Or wreck your car."

"But you don't have the-" Fili stopped, finding that his keys were no longer in his pocket. "Kili!"


	6. In Which Tauriel Meets the Family

"Fee!" Kili shouted from their shared room.

"What?" Fili answered from the kitchen. Tonight was family night and he was preparing some dessert, his usual.

Kili popped in from the hallway and leaned on the bar counter that separated them. "Do you mind sleeping on the couch tonight?"

Fili looked up from what he was doing and gave his little brother a playfully questioning look. Tauriel must be staying over, which made sense since she lived so out of the way and was staying so late.

"Only if you two promise not to touch my side of the room with your lovey-dovey rainbows and magic unicorns." Fili replied, wiggling his fingers at his baby brother to emphasize his point.

Kili rolled his eyes. Although his older brother loved Tauriel, he knew that Fili was not too fond of how their relationship sometimes invaded his personal space. He often described their love with overly cutesy words and imagery. If it was to annoy Kili, it never worked, it only encouraged him.

"We're hardly 'lovey-dovey,' Fee. And the term 'magic unicorn' is redundant as well as grammatically incorrect. All unicorns are magical." Kili said, shaking his head as if he were imparting actual knowledge unto the other.

"If this is the conversation we're going to be having, I might as well pack a bag to sleep over at mum's."

"Great idea!" Kili said, leaving his brother to his baking and retreating back to their room.

Looking over the room, he found himself nitpicking in a way he hadn't in a long time. He had spent about an hour straightening up his side of the room and was nearly done; he couldn't have his girlfriend overnight with his things in such disarray. Maybe if they spent the night at each other's more often, it wouldn't be a problem, but this was different, he supposed.

Tonight, he would spend some time with Tauriel before dinner, head over with Fili to their mum's place, have Tauriel meet nearly his entire family, and come back home to do god knows what in his bedroom - alone - if Fili was being serious about staying with their mother and uncle for the night. Not that he wanted to anything frisky with Tauriel, he didn't need them to do anything other then be comfortable cuddling to a movie tonight, it was the just the 'alone' part that got him anxious. Intimacy with a woman was not something he was foreign to, but he was not exactly sure what she wanted their physical relationship to be, and he wanted what she wanted.

So when his phone went off, signaling to him that Tauriel was at least parked outside their apartment complex without even reading the text, he supposed he'd have to leave those thoughts for later that night.

He stepped out of his room to see Fili already at the door, greeting Tauriel in his apron. She looked up at Kili when he entered the living room and smiled that smile she reserved only for him. It was wry and sweet all at once. He felt his feet move on their own, his worries gone for the moment.

"Evening, my star." He said, including his little nickname for her as he pulled her into a gentle kiss. Before Tauriel could say anything, Fili spoke up.

"And you don't call _that_ lovey-dovey?" He questioned as he made his way back to the kitchenette.

"No, I call it 'mind your own business.'" Kili countered.

"We share this flat! And it's not like I'm spying on you, and neither of you are shy."

"Have I walked in on an argument?" Tauriel asked, seating herself on the nearest arm of the couch, effectively bringing her height leveled with Kili's.

"Nothing out of the norm, really." Kili answered. "Fili's just getting sick of us is all. Thinks we're annoying, like those couples in the movie theatre that cuddle and call each other pet names." He winked at his girlfriend, knowing how much she disliked that kind of behavior. She visibly cringed.

"_You_ call each other pet names! And you're constantly cuddling." Fili began to argue.

"I wouldn't say _constantly_." Tauriel said.

"What do you call that? What you're doing right now?" Fili asked, pointing between them. At the moment, Tauriel was sitting and Kili was standing very close to her, their shoulders touching and their hands clasped. When the couple looked at each other and laughed, Fili made the assumption that they hadn't even noticed the other's proximity.

"I wouldn't call this cuddling," Kili said, "but just for the sake of argument, I'll agree with your rash accusation. So we're close, but we don't have pet names."

"What was that you called her just a minute ago? Your _star_?"

"Hardly a pet name." Kili defended. "It's like calling her 'love,' or calling you 'mate.'"

"I've heard you call Tauriel all sorts of things." Fili said, about to give up on the argument all together, that is, before seeing Kili's face redden.

Tauriel took notice as well. "Wait, what else does he call me?"

Fili's eye widened. "You mean you don't know? He only says that stuff when you're not around?" He laughed, never shying away from the opportunity to embarrass his baby brother.

"What does he say about me?" Tauriel asked, extremely amused. Seeing that Kili was now trying to retreat, she hooked her arm around him and kept him close, only making him more red in the face.

"Should I get his poetry notebook?" Fili asked, wrapping up in the kitchen.

"You write poetry?" Tauriel beamed. He either hadn't ever mentioned the hobby to her or he had just picked it up, influenced by the knowledge of how much she enjoyed poetry. Either possibility was endearing.

Kili tried struggling out of his girlfriend's iron grip and looked at his watch. "Oh, look at the time, we really should be going! It'll take us at least twenty minutes to get there, and we don't want to be late-" He was cut short by Tauriel jabbing her fingers into his ribs, effectively disarming him, for he was quite ticklish. A moment later he was unceremoniously flopped onto the couch and fighting for his dignity.

Fili, who would normally join in, knew where this would lead - he'd seen this evolve from play to _foreplay_ \- hurried to break them up.

Succeeding, now sitting between them, he told Kili to get his shoes on. The younger brother meandered back into their room to do so, leaving Fili and Tauriel to themselves. They stood and migrated to the door, Fili grabbing his keys from a hook on the wall.

"Just so you know," Tauriel began, "Being able to be like this...comfortable, carefree, and maybe even 'lovey-dovey,' I haven't had that luxury in a long while. I'm just saying I trust you, so don't be so grumpy about having to deal with us."

Fili smiled, having felt that trust before and appreciating it now. "Well, you can trust me with anything, sister." he grinned, adding his own nickname for her.

...

Family night was indeed what Kili had described it to be. Loud, crowded, and utterly charming.

"Don't let him fool you, lass, he wasn't born with his boyish charm, we had to drill into his thick skull!" the one named Bofur had said to Tauriel while she was meeting everyone. She couldn't remember their relation, or if there was one, but he was definitely one of the loudest in the bunch.

There were relatives as well as close friends who also worked in the family business or were affiliated with it through their own business. Tauriel expressed how familiar she was with these types of relationships, her legal guardian a CEO himself.

"Your god father is Thranduil Greenleaf? Of Mirkwood Enterprises?" Thorin said in disbelief. He decided then and there not to mention anything terribly detailed about their last encounter, Mirkwood Ent. having royally screwed him over nearly into bankruptcy when his nephews were just children. "I haven't seen him in ages, it feels like."

"You know him?" Kili asked, astonished that his uncle could be acquaintances with his girlfriend's adopted father.

"Aye, but we were never on good terms. Whenever we tried to make deals, he always wanted something completely unreasonable." Thorin answered, trying his best not to sound terrible disdainful in front of his youngest nephews girlfriend.

"As I recall," Balin chimed in, "They were plenty reasonable, you were just very stubborn."

All laughed but Dwalin, who Tauriel could only assume was Thorin's right hand man.

Dori started a poker game later, which Gandalf fully approved of. Fili joined in for fun while Kili and Tauriel nearly watched. Kili had been very thoughtful about touching Tauriel all evening, the most affectionate thing he'd done was to hold her hand. She didn't mind, but she did wonder if he was embarrassed, or maybe didn't want to embarrass her. Either way, when she decided to disconnect their hands and slide her arm around his shoulders, he didn't hesitate to lean into her.

Eventually, Tauriel was whisked away by Dis, thankfully, to get away from the crowd for a moment. They sat by a rather lavish fire pit and talked, the back yard more of a giant rock garden.

"I'm so glad I finally get to meet you." Dis said. "Kili doesn't shut up about you, I think I know your entire life story."

Tauriel laughed. "I'm sure. I've heard a lot about you myself. One of the first personal stories Kili ever told me was how you didn't want him to move out of your house."

Dis sighed. "At least he's with his brother. I'm afraid for him, out in the real world. He's reckless and idealistic, not a very good combination for a working man out on his own, especially without a college degree."

"Does that bother you? That he didn't finish college?"

"It did when it happened, but he's so driven, he doesn't need a piece of paper to make a career. And he's never been one for school anyhow. He was suspended so many times in grade school for troublemaking, he and Fili some of the time, I've lost count."

Tauriel laughed lightly, Having heard of said shenanigans from the proud troublemakers themselves.

"And he seems to be doing fine." Dis continued. "I've never seen him happier. But that's probably due to you."

Tauriel tried not to look embarrassed, glad for the dim lighting coming from the fire. "To be honest, I don't think I've ever been happier. I look forward to archery practice more then anything in the entire week."

The elder smiled wide. A quiet moment passed between them before she spoke again. "You know, he's always been passionate and reckless, but I've never seen him this careful, especially with a relationship."

Tauriel nearly fell out of her chair hearing that. She looked straight at Dis with a slightly shocked look of understanding. "I thought I was the only one who'd noticed!"

Dis laughed at the girl's reaction heartily.

Tauriel sat back in her chair, calm once again, laughing at herself for the outburst. "Its sweet, don't get me wrong. I thought that maybe I wanted to take things too fast, like my brother was telling me. But he's my brother, so of course he thinks we're going too fast. Just saying I have a boyfriend is going too fast for him."

"Aye, I know how brothers are, I had two." Dis said, shaking her head at distant memories. "I think Kili means to keep you, so he's taking all the precautions he can to make sure he doesn't push you away."

"Believe me, I' not sure he could push me away if he wanted to."

"Make sure he knows that. If there anything Bofur's right about, its that Kili has a thick skull. So sometimes, he needs reminding of things."

Tauriel nodded, understanding immediately. Tonight she'd make sure he knew that he didn't have to be careful with her anymore.

...

After a few hours into the party, Kili had managed to injure himself in a rather brutal arm wrestling match against Dwalin, which he only realized was a terrible idea after the fact. Just about everyone had gone by the time Kili and Tauriel headed out. Tauriel was driving while Kili sat in the passenger seat holding a borrowed ice pack to his wrist.

"So, I lost track of you for a while, you weren't being hassled to much, were you?" Kili asked happily, knowing she'd at least had a good time judging by her mood.

"Are you kidding me? I loved it, everyone was so much fun, and not to mention all the stories I heard about you!"

"Well, what's a family gathering without embarrassment? Did they tell you about the time I ran my bike into a parked car?"

"There were a few of those."

When they arrived at the small flat, Tauriel made herself at home quickly, just then realizing how tired she was. Kili noticed right away, telling her to lie down while he got her some water.

"Long day, love?" He asked, bringing her a tall glass. He couldn't believe how much he loved the sight of her just relaxing in his bed, he wanted nothing more then to snuggle up to her and bury his face in her hair. Maybe he could braid it tonight.

"I studied, I went to work, came here, yeah, I guess it was a long day." Tauriel sighed as she sat up to take a drink. Kili took a seat next to her on the bed, kicking his shoes off easily.

"Can I tell you something?" Tauriel asked, placing her glass on the bedside table after a calm moment of silence between them.

Kili looked up. "Yes?"

"You've been very careful." She decidedly said in a very straightforward manner.

Kili hesitated. "With...?"

"With us." Tauriel simply elaborated, showing no signs of negative feelings.

Kili nodded, thinking about his reply before speaking. "Is that...bad?"

"No, not at all. Well, not entirely. It's endearing, but can also be a bit stifling."

"Stifling?" Kili was confused.

Tauriel took a moment's pause before continuing. "I'll cut to the chase." In that same moment, she had Kili pinned on his back and was kissing him increasingly fervently as the seconds went by long and tantalizing.

Kili's senses heightened, shock slowly ebbing away as he began to kiss back. Of course they'd kissed before, hugged, made out, groped a bit, but this was completely new. Her body was almost entirely on top of his, fitting perfectly together, warmth from her body radiating and seeping into his own, her weight and strength keeping him from breaking free, not that he ever wanted to. He soon realized what she meant by him being too careful.

Tauriel pulled back so she could see the look on his face. She saw laughter in his eyes and love in his bright smile. His arms had been tentatively at her sides, but now they reached up to caress her arms and shoulders.

"Don't hold back on me." She began. "I know how much you don't want to screw this up. Stop worrying. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Kili seemed speechless. There was so much he could tell her, so much he wanted to say. The only thing that seemed appropriate was the phrase that ran through his head every time he so much as thought about her. "I love you."

He'd said this before, but tonight seemed different to Tauriel. The first time he'd said it, it was a surprise. They were at archery practice and were both pretty much showing off. He'd said it without really thinking, basically in front of everyone, and that's when he'd figured out that she wasn't terribly comfortable with public displays of affection. He'd apologized later in private, but was thwarted by her kiss, reassuring him that she loved him the same.

Every other time he said it, it was either to end a phone conversation or to simply tell her when he needed her to know, as if she could forget something that meant so much to her. In past relationships, she'd had boyfriends who told her they loved her in the most garish of ways, and as cheesy as Kili could be at times, he was nothing but genuine.

Tonight, his confession of love was everything but casual. It was grateful and full of a love only Kili could possess - and was not absent of lust, to Tauriel's delight. She couldn't help but reciprocate.

"I love you, too." She leaned in again and they kissed, slower this time. They didn't separate for quite awhile, slowly and passionately becoming more familiar with each other's bodies then they'd ever dared before.

Both slept in the next morning until Kili was too hungry to even continue lying with Tauriel in his arms. She woke alone in Kili's bed with braids in her hair. Putting on her shirt and his sweat pants, she stepped out of his room to see him making pancakes in absolutely nothing but Fili's apron. She decided she wouldn't tell Fili about this. At least not today.


	7. In Which Fili Makes a Proposal

Thursday evening at the Durinson brother's residence had become classic routine. Thursday was the day they both worked late and came home to watch their favorite show. While Fili usually ordered take out, Kili would call Tauriel for their nightly chat before shamelessly submitting himself to an hour of the action-packed-science-fiction-drama. Some nights, Tauriel would receive another call from Kili detailing the depths of his emotions towards the episode, in which she would openly mock him before telling him that it was only a story and that he should calm down.

Tonight, however - and just after Fili had ordered their food - Kili emerged from their room with his jacket on.

"Don't be angry with me, Fee." The younger brother said, only a tiny bit wary of the possibility that Fili would actually be angry. He hastily walked all over in search of his set of keys.

Fili turned around to watch Kili over the back of the couch. "What is it? You're going out?"

"Yeah. I'm going to Tauriel's." Kili said, a bit cautiously. "I want to talk to her."

"...Do you suddenly have a phobia of phones?" Fili teased.

Kili rolled his eyes. "I just want to see her. Since archery practice has been cancelled the last two weeks and work has been heavy for both of us, I haven't seen her in a while. And remember I told you about how the suspension on the machine I don't know that name of snapped and nearly cut my life short earlier today?"

"How could I forget, gave me tons of paperwork to do." Fili said slightly in disgust. He'd have to deal with that tomorrow.

"I hardly thought anything of it until I called Tauriel just now. She said she was shot at today."

Fili took a moment before replying, "That's a rather grim coincidence."

"That's what I said! That's why I want to see her." Kili nodded. "She was very adamant about not breaking up our Thursday night, but I told her it was no big deal, I live with you."

Fili half nodded. "You have work tomorrow." He reminded Kili as the younger finally found his keys and began rummaging through the refrigerator for a snack.

"Yeah, I'll leave at four in the morning or something." He replied, stuffing food into his jacket pocket.

"Set your alarm."

"I will, I will."

"I'll text you just in case." Fili said, typing an alarm on his own phone.

"Don't watch without me. Flat law, remember?" Kili warned as he got to the door.

"Oh, come on. I won't spoil it for you." Fili said, turning the television anyway. "Send sister my love. Tell her she should just move in with us already!" He added that last part as Kili was just about to step outside.

The younger poked his head back in. "What did you just say?"

"Tell her you have my blessing. I know you hate being this far apart anyway, it would save everyone time and money." Fili said rather nonchalantly. Although he genuinely thought this was a good idea, he was now purposefully trying to fluster Kili, enjoying the flabbergasted look on his face.

Kili stammered for a moment before actually speaking. "If you were for this all this time, then learning to drive was all for nothing!"

"Not for nothing, it's a good skill." Fili laughed. "Thats really all you have to say about Tauriel potentially moving in? That it was a waste for you to learn how to drive?" They both laughed at that until Fili continued. "Tell you what, instead of watching the show, I'll look for bigger apartment in the area. Or farther, whatever, maybe we'll meet in the middle. We'll need different bedrooms for sure-"

"Are you really considering this?" Kili asked, all joking aside.

Fili sighed. "Of course. Ki, you and Tauriel are extremely serious, and even if it's only been a year, I think it's what you both want, to be closer to one another. And I like Tauriel, I wouldn't mind being her real brother-in-law."

"Oh you'd love that." Kili answered under his breath. He almost feared what Tauriel and Fili would be like under one roof, let alone related through marriage. They were that pair of friends who fondly argued over pointless things, it was their little game. They also liked to fuss over Kili, he being the youngest of the trio. More and more the idea sounded like it would work out more for Fili then it would for him.

"Don't have the nerve to pop the question just yet, brother." Kili added.

"Want me to ask for you? Better yet, Tauriel will probably be the one to go down on one knee, she wears the trousers in this relationship, doesn't she?"

"I'm leaving!" Kili said, turning to do just that.

"Maybe you share, like, one pant leg-" Fili said, getting up and walking to the doorway as Kili exited and left the door open.

"Goodbye!" Kili said as he raised his hand, still turned away and walking towards their car on the sidewalk.

"Just tell her it's an option!"

Kili turned and was now walking backwards. "Marriage or moving in?"

"Both, I suppose, if you can conjure up the nerve in two hours!"

"You're insufferable!"

"You're the one who's in love, I just live with you!"

Kili waved him off and got into their car. Seconds after he'd driven off, Fili received a text. He plucked his phone off the coffee table and saw that it was from Tauriel.

_"Sorry, bro."_ It read.

He started tapping away at the keypad. _"I don't want him calling in sick this time."_

_"I can't guarantee anything._" She replied.

"_Just make sure he has dinner, I saw him leave with just a block of cheese and a juice box."_

_"I love that you have juice boxes."_

"_It's easier then getting a whole thing of juice. Kili always leaves it in the cupboard instead of the fringe. Remember that for later."_

_"Lol, I'll make another note."_

...

"Honey, I'm home." Kili said cheekily, getting into her apartment with his spare key.

Although she lived alone at the moment - Legolas having moved out recently because of his training up north - her apartment was bigger then the one he shared with Fili, no doubt in part by her legal guardian. Two bedrooms, two bath, a real kitchen and balcony, spacious and decorated just like his mother's house.

"Is that the voice of my dwarven archer?" Tauriel's came from her room.

Kili grunted at the nickname lovingly given to him by the other archers in their group. He was average height more or less, but still the shortest of them all. It would render as offensive if the others didn't call themselves "elven warriors," making the whole thing "middle earth" themed, if anything. Legolas had been dubbed their "Elf Prince" while Tauriel was simply "Captain," having earned the title after some time on the team.

He made it to her doorway and bowed. "At your service."

His smile was infectious as she laid eyes on him. She got up from from her desk and hugged him tightly, her arms around his shoulders as his moved quite naturally around her middle.

"I missed you." Kili said sweetly, his lips lingering at the line of her jaw. He kissed the hollow of her ear before reaching around for her lips. His hands were pressing lightly into her back, bringing her as close he could.

"So did I." She happily reciprocated between kisses. She usually wasn't one for prolonged greetings like this, but with how long they hadn't seen each other, she felt there was an exception to be made.

When they separated, she took his hand and walked to the kitchen. "I heard you didn't have much of dinner."

"I swear, if you're not at work or with me, you're talking with Fili." Kili said as he took his coat off and hung it on the back of his chair at the table.

"He is arguably one of my closet friends." Tauriel said as she got a container of her leftovers from the fringe.

"No way, me too!" Kili joked, although it was true. "But enough about my brother. I'm sorry I haven't been around, I promise I won't wait until another mutual near death experience to come and see you."

"You know I don't mind. Much." Tauriel said. Setting food on the table, she saw his jacket and wondered. Checking his pockets, she found a mostly eaten block of cheese and an empty juice box.

"Thought I'd find this." Tauriel said pointedly.

Kili shrugging as he started eating what she'd set in front of him. Once she'd thrown his trash away, she visibly refrained herself from jabbing him in the side. He flinched.

"Not while I'm eating, elf!" Kili nearly shouted, both of them laughing as she retreated and took up the seat next to him.

They sat together for some time just talking about their day.

"I've been shot at before, you know." Tauriel said while reviewing her work day. "Both bullet and arrow."

"Not while you've been dating me. The idea is just...jarring, I guess." Kili replied in truth. "Not that I'm terribly worried about you. I suppose I should be, but you're so skilled that I wonder if anything can harm you at all. Actually, the fact that you were shot at today shatters that facade."

"The facade that I'm invincible?" Tauriel asked, looking amused by her smile.

"Precisely."

"Well, it's quite the opposite for me. I know how fragile you are."

"Fragile?" Kili feigned being hurt. "I think the word you're looking for is 'rugged.'"

"As 'rugged' as you think you are, you're quite prone to injury, especially since I've met you."

Kili laughed, then shrugged. "I can't deny that. I still have the mark from that snake bite on my leg."

Once Kili was done eating, Tauriel got her jacket from the living room. "Let's go up on the roof, we'll review the constellations and see if you remember anything."

"Not likely." Kili said, doubting himself. He could never remember everything she told him, though he did pick up enough. He grabbed his coat and followed he out of her apartment and down the hall to the stairs.

...

After Kili had guessed a few constellations, and gotten one or two of them right, the couple lay together in peace staring up into the sky. Kili had and arm wrapped around Tauriel's shoulders while she had an arm around his middle, their legs comfortably tangled together.

"Remember the first time we talked about stars?" Kili asked, his voice a gruff whisper in the still air.

"And 'fire' moons?" Tauriel teased.

"'Fire moon' sounds better then 'blood moon.' Anyway, you remember. You arrested Fili and I for trespassing on private hunting grounds."

"I recall you said you were on an 'epic quest.'"

"Illegally roasting marshmallows in the thick of the woods - without getting caught - is quite the epic challenge."

"Sounds like a dare, that you obviously failed."

Kili laughed. "It was a dare, at least it started out that's way. Remember Gandalf? From family night?"

"The older gentleman who won the poker game and brought fireworks?"

"That's him. He likes wagering, and he comes up with the most interesting bets. Seeing how it brought me closer to you, I hardly care that we lost."

"We would have seen each other at practice again."

"Yes, but we shared something after that, something a little more personal. And it wasn't until then that I got the courage to ask you out for coffee, never mind if Fili was there."

Tauriel hummed in agreement and tiredly turned her head into his chest, closing her eyes.

It was moments like these that Kili found his thoughts settle. There was nothing that he needed to think about, he only needed to admire what was immediately in front of him.

Quite suddenly, however, a thought did come to his mind. He sighed softly, wanting to ask, but not knowing exactly how.

Tauriel hummed in question, knowing he had something more to say.

"So..." Kili mumbled close to her ear. "Fili has given us his blessing."

"For what, exactly?" Tauriel mumbled into his chest.

He took a deep breath before answering. "For moving in together. Fili's looking for a place as we speak." Kili turned slightly so that he could see her face. "I would like it very much if you would consider living with us."

"Sounds like Fili would like it too." Tauriel said, a bit more awake now. There was a smile on her lips, always a good sign.

"Not as much as me. But yes, he's the one who brought it up."

"Is it because you had to miss your Thursday together?"

"More because of the money I'm wasting driving up here all the time."

That made Tauriel laugh. After a quiet moment, she sat up fully and set her gaze on him. He was beautiful, especially in the light of the moon. Her eyes lingered on him before she said anything. "That would be quite a change."

"One I'm willing to make with you." He said, warmly taking her hand in both of his. "Don't you think it would work?"

"Oh. It would work, and well." She said, looking at their hands together. She brought one of his hands to her lips and kissed the back of it. She smiled. "This should be fun."

Kili was silent for a beat, unwilling to assume anything. He propped himself up with his free arm. "Is that a yes?"

She turned that same hand she held and kissed his palm. "What do you think?"

Kili let out a breath he'd apparently been holding. "I think you've gone mad, saying 'yes' to moving in with a reckless kid like me."

"Have you not noticed how reckless I can be at times? Especially when it comes to you?"

"Especially." Kili whispered, smiling uncontrollably as he ended their banter there, leaning up to kiss her. She leaned down and pressed him back down against the quilt underneath them, Kili's hands wove around to her back as soon as they hit the surface.

After some blissful time of exploration of lips on skin and hands pretty much everywhere, Kili pulled away for breath. "Fili's not going to let me call in sick tomorrow." He said, voicing his desires without specifically mentioning he'd like to stay the night.

"I told him I couldn't guarantee your timely return." She said, which really meant "I don't care."

Kili breathed heavily, his fingers idly playing with her hair as he thought. He shook his head slightly, thinking of how mad Fili is going to be when the car isn't in the driveway tomorrow morning. "I'm sure he'll understand."


	8. In Which Fili is Sick

The day felt strange from the moment Tauriel woke up. Not because they were still settling into the new apartment - evident by the various boxes still scattered around the place - but because Kili was getting ready for work very early in the morning while Fili was the one calling in sick.

"Kili...?" She said, slowly rising from the warmth of their bed.

The man in question came in from the hallway at the sound of his name. "Good morning, sweetheart. Go back to sleep." He said this while donning a neck tie and walking over to her from across the room. He bent down to kiss her cheek and gently push her back into the blankets.

She relented, but not without noticing his state of dress. "Where are you going off to in a tie and dress pants?"

"Noticed my new trousers? Aren't they nice?" Kili said, grinning as he finished with his tie and rummaged around the closet for his jacket. "Didn't I tell you? I'm meeting with Thorin today regarding training, new job opportunity and all. Oh, and Fili's still sick, so I've got him propped up on the couch with plenty of soup and movies to the last the day without me."

"You do realize I can take care of him, it's my day off." Tauriel said, propping herself up with her elbows.

"Which is precisely why I made the job easier for you." Kili replied, looking around for his wallet and keys. "Also, I made pancakes, so help yourself."

Tauriel looked at his phone, it was still sitting on the bedside table, and glanced at the time. 6:00 am it read, to her surprise. "When did you make pancakes?"

"An hour ago. Fili woke me and I couldn't go back to sleep. It's his favorite comfort food anyhow. I was hoping I wouldn't wake you." Kili said as he sat next to her on the bed. He reached out and cupped her face in his hands. "You're usually such a light sleeper, I'm surprised you didn't notice I was gone sooner. Must have been exhausted, I hope work isn't stressing you out."

"It's fine, just the first week on the squad is all. Still getting used to everything." Tauriel said in response to his concern. "You concentrate on doing a good job today. When are you getting back home?"

"I shouldn't miss dinner." He leaned in and they shared a sweet, albeit quick kiss. Kili sighed in contentment, already disappointed that he'd have to wait until the evening to braid Tauriel's hair. "I better be off. Have a restful day, my love."

...

"This is my youngest nephew, Kili." Thorin said to an important looking colleague.

Kili had arrived at Thorin's place of work, which resided in a rather intimidating skyscraper that he'd only heard about from Fili. After finding his way out of the most confusing parking structure he'd ever encountered, he joined Thorin in his office where a few men - familiar and unfamiliar - were talking casually with each other over tea and coffee.

"It's good to finally meet you." The other business man, whose name was Dain, said. "I've heard a lot about you, especially from your brother. Where is he today?"

"Home, sick as a dog, has been all night." Kili replied.

"Oh, how awful. You share a flat with him, don't you?"

"Yes, have since - well, since he's worked here." Kili said, skipping the detail about Fili convincing him to move in after dropping out of college.

"Just moved to a rather nice place, too, and with his fiancé as well." Thorin added, putting a strong arm around his nephew in a prideful gesture.

Kili tried not to choke on his drink. Had Thorin just said his _fiancé_? Before the young trainee could even stammer a response to correct him, Dain merrily clapped their hands together for another handshake.

"Well congratulations, when's the wedding?" he asked, very excitedly.

Feeling Thorin's stare burning at the side of his face, Kili knew that he had to play along. "We...haven't planned yet. It was a rather...recent engagement."

"How wonderful! Well, how was it?"

Kili blinked. "How was what?"

"The engagement, how did you propose? These are the best stories, you must share with us. Have you heard it?" He asked Thorin, who only shook his head as his reply.

"Oh, well, it's not an grand thing, really. It was rather...unexpected, if you can believe that." Kili said, trying to think quickly, knowing full well that stalling would make him seem fake.

"We were, um, out in the forest. Her favorite view is that of the night sky, where, uh, the white light of forever fills the air, she says. So we get to our favorite spot, and then thought just comes to me, 'what on earth would I do without her?' And so I tell her that, and then I asked her. And she said 'yes.'"

Kili finished by nervously sipping at his coffee. The other man seemed delighted as Thorin then bid him goodbye as they had work to do and ushered them away.

"Sorry I had to do that to you." Thorin said under his breath. "You'll need to be on his good side and he's very particular about first impressions."

"So you had me lie?" Kili said, trying not sound as exasperated as he was.

"It was a very good lie, by the way. His favorite stories are engagement related, has a thing for weddings too. Thought I'd help you out."

"Um, thanks then." Kili said warily. "Will I have to make up more lies for any more important people?"

Thorin just stood there and grinned before releasing his shoulder and walking away. Kili was still waiting for an answer before realizing he had to follow. "Uncle? Uncle!"

...

"You don't get sick often." Tauriel said, keeping Fili company after they'd finished lunch.

"So you've noticed?" Fili said, coughing into his arm.

Tauriel waited a moment for him to recover. "At least you're not sick enough to feel any less sassy."

"What?" Fili laughed despite himself. "Did you just call me sassy?"

Tauriel just snickered. "Kili calls you the 'King of Sass.' Especially when you have a particular smirk on your face, like you own wherever you're going. And you strut sometimes, especially when you're wearing a suit."

"Oh my god I'm going to kill him." Fili said, groaning.

"Not in your condition you're not. Save up your strength, and then let me borrow one of your cameras." Tauriel said, smiling mischievously.

Fili laughed. "The fact that you enjoy tormenting your boyfriend just as much as I do baffles me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, all his other girlfriends sided with him. Well, the week or two they were with him."

Tauriel leaned back in her chair. "He never tells me about all that, and I'm glad, that would mean I'd have to talk about my past relationships. I'd rather it all be behind us."

"You have some bad boyfriends?" Fili asked, genuinely curious. he'd known for some time now, but knew very little about that part of her past.

"The worst. I used to think I was just bad at the whole relationship thing, now I just know I'd never found the right person. They always wanted me to change in some way or another."

Fili nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "Can I ask you something? About Kili?"

Tauriel was slightly surprised. "What could I possibly tell you about Kili that you don't already know?"

"Well I've never dated him, have I?"

"I'd say you're in quite the committed relationship. And you do have your designated Thursdays."

Fili huffed. "Well, you don't see us cuddling and calling each other pet names, do you?"

"I've seen you cuddle twice." Tauriel said, not a hint of jest in her voice.

"Shut up!" Fili laughed, remembering that when Kili was drunk he got cuddly with him for some reason, like he'd reverted back to being five years old.

Regaining some composure, he continued. "But in all seriousness, I wanted to ask if Kili ever...well, seemed self conscious to you. And I mean when you're alone together. He seems fine to me, but I was wondering what you thought."

Tauriel narrowed her eyes in thought, knowing exactly what to answer, but curious as to what brought on the subject. "No, he's always quite confident around me. Even when we first started dating, talking to him, being with him, It's always felt natural. No nerves, no pressure. I'm sure he feels the same, he's never given me any reason to think differently."

Fili nodded. "That's a relief. I mean, I've known you were good for him from the start, but I just needed to make sure."

"May I ask for an explanation?" Tauriel said, her voice soft in a thoughtful way. She didn't want to pry, Fili could tell, but she did want to know.

Fili sighed, pulling his blanket a little tighter around his legs. "When Kili was growing up, I wasn't really there for him, at least not as much as I'd have liked. I was in college when he was started high school. I kept hearing about one girlfriend after the other and I knew what he was going through. He'd always just wanted to be a man, burly and brooding, like Thorin. He never knew our father, or how gentle he was, and I wasn't much of a role model being so far away. He didn't want his masculinity being questioned - and its a shame he thought it had to be that way - so I think he hid his insecurities in serial dating."

Tauriel nodded in understanding, having lived through that herself growing up with Legolas. If Fili wasn't telling her this, she wouldn't have even guessed. Kili didn't seem to have any of those insecurities now, especially when it came to masculinity. He was terribly sensitive and open about his emotions with her, and that did not at all take away from his masculine charm. It actually intensified it.

Fili continued. "I got to see him more when he got into college, but I'm not sure it got any better there. School had never been his place, and classes there were even more stressful. I'm sure he went to a few Too many parties that he should have. After two years, he decided not to continue at uni, so I told him to live with me and get a job in one of our shops. And I think you know the rest from there."

Tauriel took in the new information for a moment. "He told me about being depressed in college."

Fili nodded. "He didn't want to take meds, so he started training, a lot. The exercise helped, got him to think a bit clearer. And living with me helped, made us both happier, actually. He stopped dating and focused work and his sport." Fili was quiet for a moment before he took Tauriel's hand. "I'm really glad you asked him out."

Tauriel cracked a smile at that. "Your welcome. And I'm glad Kili brought you on our first hang out. You do so much for him."

Fili started coughing again, a long bout, and Tauriel got up to get his some tea. when she got to the kitchen, she heard him sputter and try to speak again.

"Wish I could do more, sister." He said, his voice raised, horse yet still strong.

Tauriel smiled at the nickname as she poured him a mug. "Why do you call me that?"

Fili coughed again, shoulders shuddering. "Do you not like it?"

"No, I love it, I was just wondering." Tauriel said as she walked back with the mug.

Fili shrugged. "I don't have any sisters, you're really the closest I'll ever get to having one. We could be in-laws, you know."

"Are you proposing I marry Kili only to become your sibling?"

Fili nodded, raised a hand from his blankets accept the tea she offered. "Precisely. What other reason would be nearly as important?"

Tauriel laughed at that, the idea ridiculously amusing, of course something they'd come up with.

"So, you're proposing for Kili, on his behalf?"

Fili laughed, coughing a little after. "I told him I'd do that once!" With that, he got down on one knee and looked up at his brother's girlfriend, who was still standing. "Tauriel, would you do me the honor of becoming my brother's wife in order to legally become my sister?"

Before she could make any kind of answer, the front door opened and Kili walked in. Once he took in the scene before him, his expression was one of utter confusion. Both Fili and Tauriel burst into laughter, only confusing him further as he shut the door.

"So..." Kili started, walking up to them with a scrutinizing look on his face. "I take it you've been cheating on me," he pointed at Tauriel, then to Fili, "and you've been lying to me." He paused, bouncing on his heels. "Alright then, I'll pack my things and move back in with mother, and I'm not going to be your best man."

He began to walk off to his room when Tauriel stopped him by taking his elbow and reeling him back in.

"Stop that, we were only playing around." Tauriel explained, laughter still in her smile.

"Nothing but a sibling's love between us, Kee." Fili added.

"I see, so that's why you were on your knee before my girlfriend." Kili retorted accusingly.

"We can't explain it, you had to be there." Fili said, laughing and choking some more.

"Ugh, why are you kneeling and standing and walking about anyhow? Get back on the couch. Have you eaten at all today?"

"A little, like an hour ago."

"I'm making dinner, then." Kili said resolutely, taking off his jacket and hanging it on a chair before rolling up his sleeves.

"Wow, you're quite the caretaker." Tauriel said, sitting at the kitchen table as Fili made his way back to the couch.

"He's only like this when I'm sick." Fili said.

Tauriel shook her head. "You two really are something."

...

It was early that night when Kili had finished fussing over Fili to make him comfortable. Fili had fallen asleep watching a movie, so Kili finally retreated to his and Tauriel's room.

Clicking the door shut behind him, Kili looked at Tauriel. She was reading in bed, wearing one of his old shirts, her hair neatly cascading across a shoulder. Remembering the day he'd had, he smiled, laughing at his own past embarrassment.

"What are you smiling at?" Tauriel said, her eyes not having once glanced away from her book.

Kili walked to his side of the bed. "You wouldn't believe what Thorin made me do today."

Now Tauriel looked up. "They don't actually haze, do they?"

"If they do, then it wasn't that bad." Kili said. "But really, Thorin and I were talking to someone important, someone I need to like me for my benefit."

"Yes?" Tauriel encouraged him to go on.

"So he goes and says I've just moved in with my fiancé because the guy likes weddings and is impressed with people in committed relationships."

Tauriel's smile was priceless. "I wish I could have seen the look on your face! What did you say?"

"I had to play along, so when I asked when the wedding was, I said we didn't know yet, the engagement had been a very recent occurrence."

"_Very_ recent." Tauriel laughed. "You know, when you walked in today, Fili was proposing that I marry you in order to become his sister-in-law."

"Oh that's what you were getting at then. What is it with my family today? Don't I get a say in when I want to be married?"

"And when do you want to be married?" Tauriel asked, not knowing herself whether or not she was being serious. She supposed she was if she'd said it allowed.

Kili stopped for a moment, realizing he actually hadn't thought about it. "I... I don't know. Not now. We've both got so much going on, hell, we've barely just moved in together."

Tauriel put her book away and turned back to him. Reaching for each other's hands, they leaned in and kissed for a few long moments before Tauriel pulled away to look him in the eye. "I agree, there's no need to rush any of this. I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I." Kili said, a whisper across her lips.


	9. In Which Things Get A Little Dramatic

Kili could hardly open his eyes. Darkness encompassed him just as wholly as the unrelenting sounds of war. His hearing was going in and out, the enemies' battle cries ear splitting while the clashing noises of metal on flesh were incessant.

He thought he heard his name being called, but still could not open his eyes. As the wounded warrior tried to get up and move towards the voice calling to him, he realized that he could barely move a muscle and was having trouble breathing. The air was hot and horrid smelling and he was sure something had pierced his chest. He heard the voice again and this time he knew it to be Fili.

The younger brother tried calling out, but could not make a sound louder then a raspy whisper. He tried and tried again, trying to make out Fili's name until blood escaped his lips and splattered onto his chin. Struggling to breathe, sputtering from the blood in his throat, he desperately wanted to call out to Tauriel as well.

After long moments of trepidation, barely hanging onto his consciousness, he no longer heard his name being shouted in the distance. What had happened to his brother? And where was Tauriel?

Kili woke with a start. Breathing heavily, he needed a second to take in his surroundings before realizing he'd fallen asleep in the hospital - the ER's waiting room to be exact. He slowly sat up in his chair after recognizing that the ache in his chest was due to the awkward position he'd fallen asleep in, his left side leaning into the blunt edge of his chair's arm.

Rubbing the sore spot on his chest, he looked around for Fili. He knew his brother had to be here somewhere, remembering now that they had both rushed over as soon as they had gotten word of Tauriel's injury, but the lingering despair from his shockingly realistic dream had left an incredibly bad taste in his mouth. Not a minute later, Fili walked into the waiting room with two bottles of water and a few snacks. Kili sighed, relieved beyond common reason to see his brother.

As soon as Fili saw that his little brother was awake and noticed the wariness in his expression, he immediately became concerned and hurried his walk.

"Hey, sorry." Fili said apologetically, gingerly sitting in the chair beside Kili.

"For what?" Kili asked, confused by his reaction.

Fili blinked, pausing for a split second before rummaging around his back pack for something. "Well, normally I'd ask why you're crying, but seeing as your girlfriend was just shot in the stomach, I'd say that's a pretty good excuse." Fili winced at himself before handing Kili a tissue. "Sorry, that was harsh to say."

"But it's true." Kili said somberly, taking the tissue and drying his eyes, not having even noticed he'd been crying. His hands were shaking, no doubt something Fili had also noticed. "But that's not the reason for this."

"...What else is on your mind?" Fili asked, his voice soft, full of compassion. He never liked seeing his brother in distress and wanted to help him anyway he could, even if he was also a bit shaken by their current situation.

Kili leaned down with his elbows balancing on his knees, his head hung low for a moment. He raised his tear glazed eyes to his brother's, the fear from his nightmare still fresh in his mind. "I just woke up from the worst dream I've ever had in my life."

Fili nodded in understanding. "What was it about?"

Kili's breathing was starting to become erratic, remembering the horrid details. He took a few deep breaths before confessing. "I...I was dying. In a war, a battlefield. I could hardly see anything, but I heard all of it. You and Tauriel were there, but I couldn't find either of you...it was horrible."

"Did you feel pain?" Fili asked.

"Could hardly breath, but the worst part was..." Kili paused, realizing the gravity of what he was about to say. ..."dying alone, not being able to say goodbye."

Fili cursed under his breath. He took Kili's shoulder and pulled him into a side embrace, their chairs only allowing as much. Kili rested his head in the crook of Fili's neck, just breathing deeply. Kili used to hate when his brother had to comfort him like this, it made him feel like a child. Now, however, something felt different. Instead of feeling shame, he felt relief. He'd really been scared for both of their lives.

"I'm really sorry you had to...go through that." Fili said, holding his brother as close as he could with one arm. After a moment, he took out his phone with his free hand. "Maybe it means something."

"What?" Kili mumbled.

"Dying in your dreams, maybe it means something. I'm sure there are articles about it online."

Kili nodded slowly, lifting himself to sit upright. Silent tears were still falling from his eyes and down his face. He wanted it to stop, he felt better now knowing that none of his dream had been real.

But now that he was back to his senses, he was worrying about Tauriel in the ER. These kind of violent injuries were both common and rare in her line of work, crime could be extremely unpredictable. Tauriel was good at her job, one of the best, and was hardly ever injured. He and Fili both had been shocked after getting the call from the hospital at midnight, he'd nearly fallen asleep waiting for her to come home. It was now very early in the morning they still hadn't heard much about her condition.

"Ok, interesting, relevant." Fili muttered as he scrolled through a webpage.

"What?" Kili asked.

"It says that dreaming of your death, at least similar to the way you described, can mean that big changes are about to happen in your life." Fili explained. "That makes sense."

Kili gave Fili a tired look that told him to elaborate.

"Well, you are thinking of asking Tauriel the big question, aren't you?" He continued, confident in his theory.

Kili stared at his brother in slight disbelief. "I'm not even going to ask you how you know that." Kili finally said, too tired to argue or to investigate. His brother was intuitive, he was fine with leaving it at that. "I've never talked about this with anyone."

"Well, this is a good time." Fili suggested. "And you talk to me about everything, I'm almost offended you haven't brought it up yet." That earned him a punch in the arm. "You haven't even talked to Tauriel about marriage?"

"Of course we have, but casually, and not in a while." Kili answered a bit defensively.

"Afraid she'll decline?" Fili asked.

Kili shook his head. "No, not at all. Even if she said no, it would probably just be to hold it off, not to break up or anything dramatic." Kili paused, thinking for a long while before speaking again. "I guess just don't know if we should actually do it."

Fili nodded, though did not understand fully. "Why not?"

The younger man sighed. "I want to be her husband. I really do, just the thought makes me...giddy, for the lack of a better word." The small smile on his lips faded just so. "But at the same time, I don't want anything to change. We have a good thing going, I don't want to ruin it."

Fili let that sink in, leaning forward in his seat, contemplating Kili's words. "So, you think married life will be really different?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know. I always hear how different it is, how different it's suppose to be, and how people change after they make everything 'official.' A lot of people-"

"Hold on." Fili interrupted, visibly surprised at what was coming out of his brother,s mouth. "You and Tauriel are not like 'a lot of people.' And don't listen to them anyway, only you two can decide what your life is going to be like." Fili shook his head with a wry smile on his face, looking at Kili. "You're 25 year old, for gods sake. You're so young."

"You think we should wait?" Kili asked, wanting a truthful answer from his most trusted confidant.

Fili put his hands up like he would in surrender. "I think you should do whatever the hell you want. Whatever feels right. Because you two..." Fili looked his brother in the eye, "...you're all that's right in the world."

Kili smiled wide, deeply humbled by Fili's highest regard and unabashed love.

There was content silence between them before the youngest spoke his mind once more. "If Tauriel and I do end up getting married...you won't kick us out, will you?"

Fili laughed. "I was afraid you'd kick me out."

"Living with you is something I definitely don't want changing," Kili assured him. "I've loved living with you, you're my rock. And even though I have Tauriel now, I'm scared that without you, I'll slip into that dark place again...only you've been able to get me out of it." He paused on a serious note before adding on, "Not to mention Tauriel loves living with you, too. And you both just love tormenting me."

They both laughed.

Fili took Kili's shoulder in a firm grip. "I always be here for you, little brother."

"Thank you." Kili said wholeheartedly.

A nurse came into the waiting room and asked for Kili. He stood immediately in answer and was told to follow. Fili got up as well and they were escorted to the room Tauriel was now resting in.

They went in and were informed that she could leave as soon as she was awake and ready. Tauriel had her eyes closed, but Kili knew she was awake. He took the few steps that were between them and clasped her left hand in on of his. Her eyes opened and swiveled up to look at him. The corners of her lips twisted up slightly as she gripped his hand.

"Hey, baby." Kili said tenderly.

"Hey." She said. She noticed the redness around his eyes, how they were glazed over with moisture. He must be exhausted. "Did I wake you?" She asked, reaching out to nudge her boyfriend's chin with her curled knuckles.

Both brothers laughed, glad she was still in good humor.

"Thank God you're alright." Kili said, laughter lingering in his voice as he leant down to kiss the corner of her mouth.

"Of course she's alright, never doubted it for a moment." Fili said. "How are you feeling, sis?"

"Sore, since I'm on painkillers, but fine." Tauriel answered, sitting up fully. She winced as she felt the new sensation of stitches. Kili immediately looked worried again.

"Got a new scar?" Fili asked excitedly.

"I'll show you when I'm wearing pants." Tauriel said, a triumphant grin on her face. She and Fili had bonded very early in their friendship over scars. Legolas thought they were mad for taking pride in them.

"That reminds me..." Tauriel began. "I had plans with Legolas tomorrow...I guess now it's later today. Before I get my clothes on, I want to take a picture in here, give him a heart attack."

"Oh God yes." Fili said. "Can I be in it?"

"I'll take it." Kili said, getting his phone ready. He and Fili had made somewhat of a game out of messing with Legolas. Whether it was photobombing, some harmless prank here or there, they tried their hardest to outsmart the blonde as frequently as they could. Although, the job was not without retaliation, Legolas was craftier then he seemed.

"Got it." Kili said. He laughed at the picture he'd taken after tapping on the icon to make it full screen. Tauriel and Fili made it look as if they were in any normal place, in turn making it terribly out of place.

Tauriel took his phone and started typing out a message. "Hey Legs, had to go to the hospital today because of some bloody bullet wound, lol. Want to meet at my place l8r? Tauriel."

She read the text out Lois and sent it, sending Fili into fits of laughter.

Once Tauriel had changed and they'd been discharged, given very specific instructions on how her recovery should be handled, they headed out to the car. Tauriel needed to walk slowly for the time being. She groaned at the idea of what the future few days were going to be like in her condition.

"Guess I'll be bed ridden for a few days." Tauriel sighed, mourning the loss of being able to be physically active.

"Oh that's just the worst, you get to sit in bed and watch tv and not work for days, such a bummer." Fili said, his tone drought with sarcasm.

"And you won't be going to archery practice this week." Kili said. "So neither will I. Got to stay home and wait on you hand and foot."

He was holding her hand, just in case she needed steadying. She looked at him and could see the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of doting on her so directly.

"Lucky me." Tauriel said, smiling in full.

Just then, Kili's phone rang. He brought it up to see a very strange picture of Legolas he'd taken mid-sneeze, the name "Olympian" on his caller ID. He laughed, having completely forgotten about the odd picture.

"Wonder if he's calling for an ambulance, heart attack and all." Fili said, laughing at himself.

_A/N: This chapter is actually going to have a second part to it, like real stories that don't jump around like this one usually does XP Just a heads up. Thanks for reading!_


	10. In Which Kili makes a Proposal

_A/N: I'm definitely going to be continuing this, but not in a while as real world responsibilities such as college and job and things take precedence. Thank you wonderful reader. For making this AU so much fun to write, I'll be thinking about the continuation throughout the hiatus! So enjoy this extra long chapter :)_

* * *

By the time the three roommates made it home, it was nearly four in the morning. Fili was dead to the world as soon as his head hit the pillow, determined to get at least two hours of sleep before having to drive to work.

After making sure Tauriel was comfortable, Kili idly sat at his desk, having decided that he would take work off for the next week in order to take care of his injured girlfriend. He was in no hurry to rest up, and after the last dream he'd had, he really didn't feel like sleeping.

"You don't have to stay up just because I am." Tauriel said, having noticed how tired Kili looked as he tried straightening up his desk. Despite having gone straight to bed after they'd gotten home just an hour ago, she was wide awake.

"Who needs sleep?" Kili mumbled incoherently, lazily quoting one of his favorite songs in a pointless and half hearted attempt to argue.

"Someone who's going to be taking attentive and loving care of me while I rot in this apartment after having been wounded in battle." She said very matter-of-factly.

Kili twisted in his chair and looked at her with a half smile. "Well when you say it like that..."

Having obviously lost a battle of wits in record time, he still remained at his desk, looking at its disarray of papers and folders. "I don't think I'm cut out for this job." He said quietly, without giving much thought to it.

Tauriel's mood shifted at his distanced tone. He hadn't actually talked much about his new job since receiving it, let alone his insecurities about it. Now that she thought about it, they hadn't had much time to themselves for some weeks now with both of their jobs being so demanding.

Tauriel decided to pursue this topic, not wanting him to fall asleep distraught. "What makes you feel that way?"

"The...formality of it all, I guess." Kili tried to explain. "I'm a sportsman, and a metal worker. I've never had to manage finances or organize shipments. I'd much rather work with my hands then pencil push all day."

At that, he sighed heavily, raising a hand to his mussed head of hair before he continued. "They want me to cut my hair to look more professional, and I have to wear that suit five days a week."

"I thought you liked your suit." Tauriel said.

"So did I, but not all the time, apparently."

"Is that all?" She pressed on, not meaning to sound condescending, she was simply trying to have him get all of his frustrations out.

"I...I don't know. I should be feeling grateful. Finally, our family business is back to being successful like back in the day. And I can't say I'm under a lot of pressure to do extremely well or to be some sort of prodigy leader, that's all on Fili's shoulders, next in line for ownership and all." He paused, trying to get to the point. He slumped down in his chair rather ungracefully. "I guess it's just an adjustment."

"A lot of big adjustments." Tauriel amended, reassuring him that she understood his frustrations. "See what happens in time. If it's still unsettling, I'm sure Thorin won't forbid you to quit."

Kili gave a small breath of laughter. "Maybe. But like my mother always says, 'Durinson's don't quit.' Maybe that's the pressure I'm feeling, the phantom words of my mother shaming me into perseverance."

Tauriel smiled at his words, happy that he was at least in good humor. "You could stop working all together, focus on archery, be my house husband, cook and clean while Fili and I are hard at work."

Kili gave her a playfully skeptical look, finally getting up from his chair and sitting beside her on the edge of their bed. "That sounds wonderful, darling, but aren't you afraid I'll become a 'desperate house husband?'" He was laughing at his own joke now, that brilliant smile of his reaching his eyes and making them squint slightly. "Once you leave for work, there would be no stopping the lady across the hall from jumping me, and I'd be crazy enough to give in."

Tauriel tried not to laugh. The thought of Kili cheating on her was hilarious. He was nothing if not hopelessly faithful.

"You've forgotten that I am a police officer with exceptionally good detective skills." She said, playing along. "I'd find out about your little affair quite easily. And besides, you wouldn't dare think of cheating on me if I threatened divorce."

"We'd have to be married for that to work."

"In this version of the future, we're married, _'house husband_.'"

At that, Kili quickly became flustered. He still had the question of marriage on his mind and had yet to decide what to do about it. Instead of dwelling on his uncertainties further, he got up and started undressing.

"You're right, I do need sleep." He said, the playful tone he'd adopted earlier half faded from his voice. "Too tired to even banter."

Tauriel gave him an understanding look.

"You staying up?" He asked.

She sighed. "Might as well try and sleep. It's a part of healing, isn't it?"

"A big part." Kili agreed. After he'd gotten on a tank top to sleep in, he turned off the light and climbed into bed, careful not to jostle her end too much. He waited for her to settle into a laying position before wrapping himself snugly around her, an arm gently embracing her middle while one of his legs settled between both of hers. He kissed her temple before she turned to face him, tenderly kissing him on the lips while her hand smoothed it's way up his arm.

Kili sighed contently after pulling away. "Maybe you're what keeps my nightmares away." He mused, his voice soft, almost a whisper.

"Why is that?" Tauriel asked, matching his volume.

"I fell asleep in the waiting room and had a terrible dream. Maybe it was partly because you weren't there. You know, I can't remember the last time I fell asleep without you near me." He smiled that lopsided way of his. "Maybe I'm a little addicted."

"To sleeping near me?" She asked. He shrugged, making her laugh lightly. "Maybe I am too." Tauriel added before receiving a kiss to the shell of her ear.

"Thank you, for listening to me complain about my job." Kili continued. "I really shouldn't be complaining, but I feel better now that I've talked about it. It'll probably be fine."

"Isn't that my job?" Tauriel replied. "Aren't we supposed to talk to each other about our problems? No matter how small? We can't be a team if we don't understand one another."

"Right." Kili said, a small smile on his lips at the thought of them being a 'team.' That particular term was special to him, it's how they'd started out, as team members in archery. Now they were in love and living together, a team of two ready to take on the world with all of it's challenges and uncertainties.

"I guess we just haven't talked in a while." He continued.

"Well, we'll have plenty more talks during my recovery." Tauriel said, sighing lightly. "That's one good thing that'll come out of this week."

"Besides your _actual recovery_?" Kili scoffed.

"Yes, besides that, that's not important." She waved off, sarcasm thick in her voice.

Kili shook his head slightly against the pillow. "I know you're joking."_ But I almost lost you last night_. Determined now to settle down for the night, he nuzzled into neck, kissing her there. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She said only after a spilt second, having become accustomed to their nightly ritual. It used to be hard for her to say it out loud, now she was grateful for how easy it had become.

So Kili tried to relax, ridding himself of any further thoughts as he listened to Tauriel's breathing even out . And soon, he was in a dreamless sleep.

...

When he woke, the room was filled with the sunlight of an afternoon and he hoped to god Fili had explained his absence for him at work.

Groggily sitting up, the first thing he noticed was Tauriel's absence from bed. He wondered if she'd needed help getting up and felt a little guilty that he'd slept through her leaving.

Listening carefully, he heard voices coming from outside the hall, the bedroom door slightly ajar. Tauriel was laughing lightly - a sound he would never mistake for any other - and then he heard a lower voice. Legolas must have stopped by after all.

Remembering his state of undress as he stood, Kili pulled on a new shirt and shorts and combed a hand through his unruly hair before walking out into the living room.

Just as he'd predicted, Tauriel and her brother were chatting away in the living room. He looked at the clock and noticed the time was 1:00 in the afternoon.

"Well if it isn't the dwarfish archer, risen from slumber." Legolas greeted him.

"Good tidings to you as well, Prince of the Silver medal, I mean, the Woodland realm." Kili countered, relying on one of his default insults, too tired to think of anything incredibly new.

"Still not offended by that!" Legolas said, a bewildered look on his face.

"Can we go one day without this?" Tauriel said, actually sounding a bit irritated with them. She usually didn't mind their rivalry and was grateful that they could stand each other at any capacity, really. She was also aware that insults could actually be construed as endearment, in their own weird way, but today she had little patients for their debacles.

Without another word, both Kili and Legolas looked at each other seriously for a beat, nodding silent in agreement that, yes, they could go one day without being complete dicks to each other. For Tauriel's sake.

"Good to see you, Legolas." Kili amended.

"You too, it's been a while." Legolas promptly replied.

Tauriel was silently amazed by the exchange, seeing the power in her injury and the potential in abusing it.

"Actually, Kili," Legolas began as Kili headed to the kitchen. "I've just met someone who says he's your cousin."

"Really?" Kili answered, spinning around to face the blond from behind the kitchen counter. "Small world, but I do have a lot of cousins."

"His name is Gimli." Legolas further explained.

"Gimli?" Kili repeated. He laughed. "He's my youngest cousin. How on earth did you two meet? He's a regular lumberjack of a man, I can't imagine you two being on the same planet let alone running into each other."

"Right?" Legolas agreed. "It's a long story. A group of ally corporations along with my father's are participating in these team building groups. At least one person from every different company is in each group."

"Interesting. So you got talking and I was mentioned in there somewhere? How does that eve come up?" Kili had now abandoned the kitchen, invested in the conversation.

"Gimli recognized my name from talking with Tauriel, he mentioned he'd met you at a family gathering of sorts?" Legolas looked at Tauriel for confirmation.

"Family night, yeah, I remember meeting him now." She chimed in. "He's almost out of college, but works full time for his father's lumber business. He's a heck of guy, best when it comes to drinking games."

"I'll remember that." Her brother said. "This is a long term program, so we'll be traveling a lot together on assignments."

"Sounds like quite the quest." Kili remarked before laughing. "Glad we're not business partners!"

Surprisingly, hours went by with minimal name calling or teasing when it came to the two men. Tauriel wasn't fool enough to think it would be like this all the time, but there was hope that they could at least enjoy each other's company once and a while. And maybe Legolas befriending Gimli would bridge the gap even more. Only time would tell.

The group was talking about ordering dinner when Fili came back from work. The elder of the Durinson brothers made his way over to Tauriel first, kissing her cheek and asking how she felt. When he was satisfied by her adamant "I'm fine," he turned his attention to their guest.

"Hey, Leggy." The mustached blond greeted happily.

"Fili." The other blond replied curtly. Fili always acted familiar with him, he couldn't tell if it was to throw him off or if he was just being nice. It could easily be both.

Fili then turned to his brother. "Kee, I told Thorin about what happened, he's cool with you taking the week off."

"Brilliant, thanks." The younger said, relieved. "I woke up really late today and didn't think of calling."

Fili nodded. "I figured. Dain sends his regards, hope's the fiancé isn't in too much pain."

"Fiancé?" Legolas quipped, his eyes settled in a stony glad at Kili.

"Not real, that is not true, that is a lie I was forced to make!" Kili found himself stuttering. Flustering Legolas about something that wasn't really happening - yet - was not something he wanted. The time would come when he could break the news to Tauriel's overbearing sibling and relish in the frustration it would cause him.

Tauriel, sitting snug beside Kili on the couch, couldn't help but laugh at the way her boyfriend had reacted to Legolas.

"It's a long story." Kili said, sliding his arms around Tauriel's shoulders and squeezing lightly, chuckling at himself along with her.

"Uncle Thorin had Kee tell an investor he was getting married to impress him." Fili explained, wanting nothing more today then to mess with Legolas, even if Kili wasn't up for it. "Thorin can be funny sometimes."

"Yeah, thats hilarious." Legolas deadpanned, obviously not as amused as his peers.

...

After dinner, Legolas left, promising to come back later in the week. Fili made the resolve to going to bed early, not having gotten a lot of sleep the night before.

So Kili and Tauriel stayed up in the living room, just talking, like they said they would the night before. He sat sideways on the couch, his back to the arm of it while her back rested on his broad chest.

"Did you get any sleep before Legolas came over?" Kili asked.

"Nodded off for an hour or two, then I was just lying in bed." She answered. "What do I have to say to convince you that I'm fine?"

"You can't convince me, not when I have instructions from the hospital about how I have to treat you for a month." Kili answered stubbornly. There was a moment of silence between them before he went on. "Look, you're always taking care of me, it's the very least I can do."

"What? Asking me incessant questions?"

"To worry about you! And my questions are relevant. And you know you like the attention." He kissed her shoulder before pulling away and finding one of her hands to hold.

"We take care of each other." She reaffirmed him.

"Yeah." He agreed. "You know, I was always afraid of being alone. Like, alone alone, not just 'not in a relationship' alone. Being by myself scared me, it used to be my biggest fear."

"And now?" Tauriel asked swiftly, though not without a hint of sensitivity in her tone.

"Now my biggest fear is...well..." he thought back to the nightmare he'd had the night before. "Not being able to be with you or my loved ones. I mean, I can stand a few hours alone or going to work and doing hours of paperwork as long as I get to come back home to you and Fili."

Tauriel smiled, looking down at their entwined hands. She'd been playing with his fingers without really thinking about it. "Any other woman would be offended being grouped together with your brother, but I know just how special that makes me."

"Makes you family..." Kili said softly, his mind racing now. He could ask her here and now. He'd been waiting for the right time, and although this wasn't what he'd expected the "right time" would be like, it felt perfect.

"Tauriel..." He began, scooting away from her so that he could situate himself to face her. She turned, adjusting with him until they were comfortably facing each other. Kili immediately went for her hands and they were at once clasped together.

"Yes?" Tauriel said, encouraging him to continue his thought.

He looked up into her eyes with purpose, and she was immediately taken by the sudden change their conversation had made.

There was so much he knew he could say, but also knew that she'd heard all of it from him before. He was nowhere near nervous like he thought he'd be, just a little indecisive on how exactly he wanted to propose.

"I'm not afraid of being alone anymore, because I have you." He began. Everything went through his mind at that point. _I need you. I can't live without you. I love you._ "I want to marry you" was what came out, and if his honest gaze wasn't enough to convey just how much he wanted it, his sweet, brilliant smile would sell it.

Once Tauriel processed the words, the only thing she could do was smile. He hadn't asked her to marry him, he'd only told her his greatest desire in hopes that she shared it. Without hesitating she replied, "I want to marry you, too."

"Soon?" Kili said, almost too eagerly. His grip on her hands had grown much stronger, and if it weren't for her injury, he's sure he'd have lunged at her by now to shamelessly kiss her senseless.

Having a similar feeling, Tauriel couldn't contain herself and leaned in to kiss him a few times before answering. "Isn't this something we have to plan for, announce to people and everything?"

"Only if we want to." Kili said. He was being silly now, she could tell by the twist in his smile. "We could just go and get the papers signed."

"That sounds rather foward. And very eager. I'm pretty sure your mother would throw a fit if we don't consult her about some kind of wedding."

"I know, I know." He laughed. "My family hasn't had a wedding in so long, the party would be huge." He made a face just thinking about what the reception would look like. "Oh god, my family is going to mob us."

"I don't doubt it." Tauriel admitted.

"It's going to be absolutely terrifying!" His hands were in his hair now as he leaned into the back of the couch.

She leaned into him, her head on his shoulder. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

He turned to her and quickly kissed her. "I love you."

"That's been established quite a lot today."

"You know you love it."

They both heard Fili's door open. He spoke before even emerging from the hallway. "You are too much!" He said, exasperated. As he came into view, his hair was tossed from sleep and his eyes were barely open. "I can hear you from my room even when my door is closed."

"Fee, want to be my best man?" Kili asked, looking at his brother from over the couch, completely unphased by the initial complaint.

"Is that even a question?" Fili retorted, extending his arms and leaning onto the back of the couch as he tried to look more awake. "In all seriousness though...I'll only be your best man if Legolas is Tauriel's maid of honor."

"Deal." Kili immediately said, earning a punch in the arm from his fiancé.

"If he wants to be part of the ceremony, he'll be your groomsman." She affirmed, secretly knowing how terrible Legolas would be at organizing anything, let alone a wedding.

Kili, at this point, was feeling incredibly silly, especially now, seeing a perfect opportunity to annoy his brother. "Yes, _my bride_."

"Oh god, another pet name!" Fili groaned, keeling over as if he were sick to his stomach.

"Stop complaining, this is the pet name of all pet names, let me indulge myself." Kili retorted, lightly pushing his brother aside.

Fili straightened up and brushed Kili off. "Alriget, alright. This time in all seriousness, that has got to be the most laid back proposal I've ever witnessed."

"You've witnessed proposals? Or evesdropped?" Tauriel asked her soon to be brother-in-law.

"It's not eavesdropping if your door is closed and you're trying to sleep. And technically, in my situation, TV and movie proposals count, and they hype it up a ton." He pointed at his younger brother accusingly. "You were hyping it up too just yesterday, fretting beyond belief about it."

"What can I say, you give great pep talks." Kili shrugged.

Fili smiled at that, smugly crossing his arms. "What's a best man for?"


	11. In Which An Old Friend is in Town

It was early in the evening when the three roommates began getting ready for the dinner that Dis had been planning for a weeks now. They'd been told to dress nice, which either meant that their dear mother had invited a guest whom she wished to impress, or that Thorin was bringing a business partner of some sort. Either way, Kili was dismayed at the thought of not being able to wear his favorite worn out jeans as he rummaged through his closet.

Fili was brushing his teeth when his phone started to buzz in his pocket. Still in the midst of brushing, he dug into his pocket, fishing it out and swiping his thumb across the screen once he saw that it was his mother texting.

_Probably giving me some last minute instructions for the night, _he thought before reading the text. It took a moment for the message to register, but once the words took hold, he almost spat right there.

"Kili!" Fili shouted from the bathroom once he'd properly finished with his teeth. When there was no answer, he went over to his doorway, seeing that Kili was in the living room with his headphones on, ironing out one of his shirts.

"Kili!" He shouted again.

His brother looked up immediately with wide eyes, stopping what he was doing and shifting a speaker away from his ear. "Yeah?"

"You will not believe who is coming to dinner tonight! Mother just told me." Fili said, still a bit dumbfounded by the information himself.

Kili immediately recognized the urgency and his curiosity was peaked. "Who?"

Fili shook his head and smiled. "_Bilbo Baggins."_

Kili's jaw dropped and he let his headphones fall around his neck. "How? Why?" Kili said exasperatedly. His eyes were darting all over Fili's face as if an answer clearly lied there. And then it hit him. "She must have planned this!"

"What are you two going on about?"

The two men glanced to the hall and saw Tauriel. She laughed at their bewildered expressions and waited for an explanation.

"We haven't seen Bilbo in years, not since we were kids." Fili started to explain.

"He's a family friend, lives half way across the country. Apparently he's in town?" Kili added, looking at Fili for confirmation.

"Apparently. Though I don't know the reason." Fili said.

"Does he need a reason? It's odd that a family friends is stopping by?" Tauriel asked.

"He was Thorin's right hand man." Fili elaborated. "See, Bilbo is the lawyer who helped win back the company from Smaug Enterprises back in the day. Even after we won, he stayed to help with the company, but left maybe a year later. Thorin was pretty broken up about it, they'd grown really close."

"No one ever told us, cause we were just kids when it happened," Kili chimed in, "But I'm pretty sure Bilbo left because he and Thorin were having some...lovers quarrel of great magnitude."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not. Were they together?" Tauriel asked, the question directed more towards Fili, who shrugged.

"Honestly can't say, but it wouldn't surprise me." He answered.

Tauriel nodded, taking in the information. "This will at least make for an interesting night."

Kili nudged Fili in the arm. "Will this be the first time they've seen each other in ten years?"

Fili nodded, the realization sobering. "Yeah. Mom said Thorin doesn't know, and he should be there any minute now."

Both Kili and Tauriel cringed. "Thorin doesn't like surprises." Kili said.

"I know." Fili crossed his arms. "I guess we're just going to have to wait and see what happens." He was about to go back to his room when he remembered something and turned back. "Oh, one more thing, he's bringing his five year old nephew."

…

When the party of three arrived at the Durinson household, the brothers were surprised to find their old friend's car in the drive way.

"He still drives the Toyota." Kili said, smiling at the old memories.

Fili laughed and led the way to the front door, ringing the doorbell, then letting himself in, knowing it was unlocked for them.

"Mom?" Fili said, no one in sight just yet.

After everyone had gotten inside, a curly haired, quaintly dressed man stepped into the hallway and spotted them.

"Fili, is that you?" He said, a bright smile on his face, his hands clasped together as he got a good look at the now grown men he'd last seen as children.

"Bilbo!" Both brothers exclaimed, and it was almost as if time had never gone by. The brothers quickly made their way to their old friend and hugged him in turn.

"You both have changed so much!" Bilbo said, enthusiastically patting them on the back. "I can hardly believe it! I was half expecting to see high schoolers come walking in." He laughed, looking at Kili. "But here I am, your mother and uncle telling me you've gone and gotten engaged!"

"Guilty." The younger brother beamed, turned to his intended. "Bilbo, this is Tauriel."

"An absolute pleasure to meet you! I've heard only good things about you." Bilbo said, shaking her hand.

"And I've heard quite a lot about you." Tauriel replied. "Especially on the way here."

Bilbo laughed. "We were thinking of keeping it a secret until this very moment, but I thought it'd be a bit cruel."

"Still, you only gave us a few hours of warning!" Fili said, exasperated.

"At least you were warned." Thorin spoke up from the living room. His tone was joking, so at least they knew that this wasn't going to be an awkward reunion. Fili and Kili gave each other a look of relief at that.

Also, to the great enjoyment of the younger three guests, sitting on Thoirn's lap was Bilbo's nephew.

"And who is this handsome young man?" Tauriel asked, making her way over to Thorin as the boys caught up with Bilbo.

"This is Frodo." Thorin said with a sigh. Even as he scowled, Tauriel could tell that, in Thorin's case, looking after the children wasn't as bad as he let on. He might not be the best with kids, but he definitely had a soft spot for them somewhere. She at least knew he'd had an imperative role in raising Fili and Kili, and from his own stories, had enjoyed quite a lot of it.

Frodo looked up at Tauriel with wide eyes. "Hi!" He exclaimed, a brilliant smile spread across his face. Tauriel couldn't help but fall in love with the boy immediately.

"Hello there." She replied, sitting next to Thorin on the couch. "I hear you came from very far away."

"Yeah, we went on a plane to get here!" He said. "But we're going back soon, all my friends are there. And my garden. And my tree!"

"Your tree?" Tauriel said as the rest of their company meandered nearer.

"We live near the woods." Bilbo explained. "He has a tree he likes to climb. His friend's named it 'Treebeard.'"

"Ah, those were the days." Kili said. "Last time I tried climbing a tree was a few years ago. Fell and nearly broke my leg."

"It doesn't help that you were drunk doing it." Fili said under his breath.

"How have I not heard this story yet?" Tauriel said, a teasing smile on her lips as Kili playfully glared at her.

It was then that Dis came in, ringing in the boys to help set the table. In no time, dinner was ready and everyone was in the dining room. Casual conversation over dinner started almost immediately, thanks to Bilbo, still needing to catch up with everyone.

"So Fili, how's the company job treating you?" Bilbo asked.

"Fine, I'm just glad I'm not an intern anymore." The eldest brother replied.

Thorin gave a rare smile to his heir. "You're shaping up to be one of the finest in our profession I know. You're going to be the owner of this company one day."

"Yeah Fee, so just ward off all the dragons that come our way and you'll do great!" Kili teased.

"Dragons?" Tauriel repeated, unsure as to why dragons had to anything with running a corporation."

"Kili was little when all the legalities surrounding the company was happening." Dis explained. "The only way we thought he'd understand what was happening is if we told him that Smaug Enterprises was a dragon who had stolen our kingdom."

"Ah, dragons and kingdoms sound much more interesting then business an paperwork." Tauriel said.

"Believe me, you're right about that." Bilbo replied. "So, how long have you two been together? Oh, well how did you meet in the first place?" He asked Kili and Tauriel, who were sitting across from him. "This all seems sudden to me, I remember when you were still just in grade school and hated girls."

"They met at archery practice." Fili answered for them, part of his mouth full no less. "It was a meet I didn't go to, but didn't Tauriel beat you, little brother?"

"And it was love at first shot." Kili said, giving his fiancé a wink. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Tauriel smiled at him with ease, a general effect he had on her, she'd come to realize. She looked back at Bilbo to answer the rest of his question. "So starting there, I guess we've known each other for two years now, been living together for the last year."

Bilbo smiled, shaking his head. "I bet a lot of people tell you you're rushing into things."

A number of the group turned their eyes to Thorin, which caught him off guard as he defended with a distinguished "What?"

Bilbo laughed hardily at that, the years apart from Thorin and the family seemingly melting away as Thorin started to laugh along with him for a moment.

"Frodo's parents knew each other less than that and were an amazing fit, I doubt this is any different." Bilbo continued.

Tauriel smiled. "Thank you, Bilbo. I get a lot of talking at from my god father about getting married so quickly. I have to remind him every time that its exactly what he did when he was my age."

"Thranduil is wary of anything you do that isn't exactly according to his plans. He'll come around." Kili assured his bride-to-be.

"Thranduil?" Bilbo said in bewilderment. "Thranduil _Greenleaf_? Of _Mirkwood Enterprises_?" He waited for Tauriel's nod. "He's your god father?" He didn't even wait for another affirmation before turning to Thorin in pure amusement. "Oh, that must have been a insane, you and Thranduil in the same room again."

Thorin cleared his throat and spoke in a low tone. "We actually haven't seen each other yet. I suppose we'll both be at the wedding."

Bilbo could all but contain himself at hearing that. "Well, you may need me there, just in case Thorin and Thranduil insist on setting the place on fire."

Thoirn gave his old friend a glare that meant both "I'll kill you if you keep talking" and "please."

Bilbo laughed and slapped Thorin in the arm. Tauriel and Kili exchanged looks, the boys' theory about a certain romance not seeming to be too far off.

"Wait," Kili said, "Does that mean you're staying for the wedding?"

"It's at the end of the month, isn't it?" Bilbo said. "Frodo and I are staying for a week, I have some business here. I would, however, love to fly back, I could leave Frodo with my cousins. Would that be alright?"

"That would be excellent!" Kili beamed. "The best part about planning the wedding is knowing how many people are going to be there, family and friends coming together for one big occasion." Kili looked at Tauriel with an appreciative look and wrapped an arm around her back, bringing her close enough so that he could plant a kiss onto her cheek. He knew that she was still getting used to their big family and that the idea of a wedding of any kind was a bit daunting.

Another pleasantly silent moment of eating came and went before Bilbo spoke up again, another question directed at Tauriel. "How is it with these two? Have they grown out of leaving their shoes wherever they please?"

"Actually, they haven't." Tauriel answered, matter-of-factly. "I wonder what else you haven't grown out of."

"Hmm...well, Fili used to be the most dastardly trickster, could hide just about anything up his sleeves." Bilbo said. "Once he snuck a pocket knife into school, had it on him most of the day before getting caught. Was suspended a week for that one."

"What they didn't know," Fili began, "is that I had eight on me, and they only found one."

Fili and Kili laughed at the memory as Bilbo looked very surprised. "Eight?! You could have been in so much more trouble, young man!"

Fili's eyebrows shot up playfully. "I'm almost thirty, Bilbo, I think I've grown out of the title 'young man.'"

"Sorry, act of habit,_ my dear boy_." Bilbo continued, exaggerating his current snark. "You never told me that! I feel lied to."

"Why would you bring a pocket knife, let alone eight, to school anyhow?" Tauriel asked.

"One of Kili's famous dares. They had quite a few of those." Dis answered.

Kili was looking very proud of himself. "Also, he had the hardest time pealing bananas and oranges without them."

"Did not!" Fili said, glaring at his brother. "What I did do with those knifes, however, was cut your apples into slices. He wouldn't eat it otherwise."

"Oh, come on, I had my braces in, everyone knows you're not allowed to bite into an apple with braces in!"

"Can we stop talking about apples? I'm eating, they're the last thing I want to think about while I'm eating." Fili said. The entire family knew of his distaste for the fruit.

"You're the one who brought it up. And...I'm_ pretty sure_ I could think of a few other things you'd rather not be thinking about while at the dinner table." Kili said, earning him a piece of carrot chucked at his from across the table by his mother.

"You behave." She warned.

"You behave, you're the one throwing things!"

"When you're head of your own household, you can throw whatever you want at your inappropriate son."

Kili turned to Tauriel. "Guess we need to have at least one inappropriate son so that I can throw things at him."

"With our luck, we'll only have sons and they'll all be inappropriate." Tauriel said, playing along. She'd honestly never given serious thought about children, but now that she was in this family, however, the thought was pretty comforting instead intimidating.

…

"We have to get together again this week, we can have dinner on me." Fili said to Bilbo when they were making their way out for the night. "Preferably somewhere where kids eat free."

Bilbo slapped Fili on the back and assured him he'd find the time. "It's wonderful seeing you again. You've exceeded all of my expectations." He glanced back at Kili, who was talking with his mother and Tauriel, holding his fiancé's hand and leaning into her adoringly.

"He surprised me, too." Bilbo said quietly. "Your mother and I have been exchanging emails for a time, so I've been hearing all about you two. She's was worried about him, especially when he was in college."

"I was worried too." Fili sighed, remembering how just a few years ago, Kili had been in a worse place. Seeing him now, as happy as he was as a kid, made him just as happy.

"You're a good man, and I'm proud of you." Bilbo said, genuine love in his voice. He pulled Fili into a quick hug before his nephew appeared next to him.

"Uncle Bilbo, I'm tired!" Little Frodo whined, now traipsing at his heals.

Not a moment later, Thorin was lifting the boy into his arms and Frodo automatically curled into him, perhaps already asleep.

"Were you this good with children when Fili and I were this small?" Kili asked quietly, quite taken by his uncle's calming demeanor around Frodo.

"No, you two were terrible with me, you only behaved for your mother." Thorin said, making his way down the hallway and up stairs to Fili and Kili's old room, where Frodo would be staying for the night.


End file.
